You Saved Me, In More Ways Than One
by SilverLiningsWriting
Summary: Bellamy's life is saved by a random girl in the woods. Little does he know, she will soon work his way into his heart and become the most important person he will ever know. Picks up in the beginning of season 2!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW and associated writers.**

 _Bellamy POV_

This is absurd. I feel like I've been walking in circles. I swear I've passed the same tree multiple times. I sigh. I don't have any idea how we expect to get our friends out of Mount Weather in the conditions we're in. We need the grounders. Octavia has always seen that. I grin to myself. Somewhere down the line my little sister grew wise and not so little anymore.

I decide to head back to camp, calling the scouting trip a wash, and planning to try again tomorrow. It was then that I heard a noise behind me. I spun, hand going to my gun out of reflex. Standing atop the bank above me was a massive grounder, ready to jump me. I'm annoyed before afraid; how are we to work together if we're still attacking each other in the woods?

Before I can think, the grounder is in front of me and twists the gun from my hands, chucking it into the woods. He's strong. Really strong. And fast. This is no ordinary grounder; he's along the lines of Lincoln. I fight back, matching the man move for move, but the grounder is faster; and grabs my neck and hurls me against a tree. I see spots in front of my eyes as my head explodes in pain. I can't get up just yet, and I can see the grounder approaching me. I look for something to use against him - a rock, a stick, anything. Before I pick up the closest rock though, I hear another pair of boots hit the ground. _Shit_ , I think. Another one?

"Do you people just disregard the word truce?" It was a girl's voice, speaking in some accent I had heard before but couldn't identify. I tried to focus on her, but could still only see blurry shapes as my eyes slowly came back into focus after having my brains knocked about. What I could tell is that the girl was probably a fourth of this grounder's size, and I have no idea what she thinks she's doing.

The grounder turns from me to her. He speaks in the grounder language I have barely grasped a few words of, and the girl responds, heatedly. My eyes adjust, and I can see her clearly now. She's about Raven's size, and is wearing a dark purple jacket with a hood, and it seems that the hood has a mask attached that covers the top of her face to the tip of her nose, with two circles cut out around her eyes. She's also wearing dark pants and boots, but it's her weapon that catches the most of my attention. She's wielding a double edged sword, and one that looks like it might break apart in the middle. Who was she? She didn't have face paint like a grounder, nor clothing like one, and she seems at odds with this man. Were there even more people around here? I'm not sure I can handle any more enemies at the moment.

The grounder is still yelling something incomprehensible to me, and the girl is nonchalantly twirling her sword around in her hands.

"The sky people know nothing of losing brethren to the mountain," he spoke gruffly in english. "Nor do you people of the night." He spat at her. Her head suddenly snaps up to the grounder, and before he can think, she's used her swords to gain leverage and flip him, holding her sword to his throat.

"We _all_ have lost people in the mountain, you moron. Hence the truce," she twists the sword a little deeper and he grunts. "You're not supposed to be attacking them anymore so we can all get ALL of our people out. Then we can hack each other to bits if you so desire."

I almost grin at her statement, but the second passes as the grounder throws the girl off him and grabs her sword. Before I can even stand to help, he pushes the sword through her abdomen and she screams. The bastard laughs.

Her scream jolts me out of my blurred stupor and I'm sharp again. I jump up and tackle the grounder before he can get up and finish the job. I grab my knife and jab it into his shoulder. He yells, but it's not nearly enough to take him down. He starts at me again, so I start punching him, disorienting him. Anything to distract him, because I notice that the girl has stood up, sword still in abdomen. How she's standing, I have no idea. I think she should be dead. But she has already unhooked the other sword and has it ready. She gives me a look and a quick nod, telling me to get out of the way. I don't hesitate, and good thing, because she jabs the other sword through his back and through his chest, right into the space where I was standing second before. He sputters, and falls face first to the ground. I let out a breath I've been holding. Too much flirting with death happens on the ground. I'm about over it. And even through a truce. Maybe the grounders weren't to be trusted after all. Who is to say they won't turn on us the second they get what they want? Lexa is a child, what would make them agree to her truce? Already, some do not. I shake my head from my thoughts as I see the girl collapse to the ground behind the now-lifeless grounder. I hurry and kneel at her side. Her wound is bad. I'm afraid if I try to remove the sword, it will bleed uncontrollably. But if I don't, then I have no idea how to get her back to camp, and I have to get her to Abby if she has any chance of living. I remember watching Clarke work on various knife wounds, and I know if it's pulled the wrong way, it can cause massive internal damage, which could kill her on the spot. But how do I carry her without causing more damage from the sword? I make a decision that I will wrap my jacket around it, and her wound, and keep it from sliding in anymore. I don't know if that's the right answer or not; I wish Clarke or Abby were here, I am not a medic.

"Hey, we don't make a bad team do we?" I force a smile. She looks at me. The fight had knocked down her hood/mask, and her face is absolutely beautiful. Her eyes are a bright brown-gold, reflecting the sunlight in them, and her hair is a dark brown, complimenting her pale skin. I have never been so taken aback by someone before. She gives a small smile.

"How bad is it?" She asks quietly, clearly trying not to let on her pain.

"It's bad," I start taking off my jacket to wrap around the wound. "I'm going to take you back to my camp, we have a really good doctor there who can help, okay?"

She nods, eyes starting to roll back.

"Hey, hey, stay with me." I work fast to secure the jacket on her to try to stop the bleeding. I have to lift her to get the jacket on the back side of the wound, because the sword went all the way through. "This is going to hurt, just stay with me." She yells in pain, but I get the jacket around her. Luckily it seems like the sword is wedged in there well, and doesn't move when I move her. It's a quality sword. "What's your name?" I ask while working.

"Evelyn," she replies distantly. I'm losing her.

"Evelyn, I'm Bellamy. And I need you to stay awake, okay? Stay with me, I'm going to help you, I won't let anything else happen to you."

She gives another small nod, and I know there's nothing I can do to subdue the pain with picking her up. I do it as gently as possible, but she is passed out by the time I stand all the way up. Probably for the better, but I position my hand so I can feel her pulse as I hurry back to camp. It's there, but weak. I have to get her there fast.

* * *

When I arrive at camp, I'm shouting for people to open the gates and get Abby. Luckily, Abby has some kind of sixth sense for injured people, and is already next to me before I'm hardly through the entrance.

"Bellamy what happened?" She asks desperately as she and a few others help me with Evelyn.

"I was out scouting," I say breathlessly. "And I was attacked by a grounder. She came out of nowhere and saved my life, but the grounder got her. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know if I should take it out of her or leave it, I just didn't know, but I couldn't leave her out there…" my voice is frantic and Abby puts a free hand on my shoulder.

"Bellamy you did the right thing. It could have killed her instantly if you pulled it out. You gave her the best chance she has," she says gently.

I nod. "Her name is Evelyn," I say, my voice still wavering.

"What is she? She doesn't look like a grounder," Jackson observes as we get her on the table in the med bay and Abby starts barking orders.

"I have no idea, but she's no grounder."

Abby works quickly, and she looks to me.

"Bellamy, you can stay if you're going to help. If you can't handle it, you need to go."

"I'm staying," I say instantly, rolling up my sleeves. She studies me, making sure I'm not about to break apart. I know it's rare for them to see this side of me, but I don't care. I have to save this girl. I have to at least _try_. "I'm okay, Abby. Just tell me what you need me to do." Thankfully my voice has steadied out. I take a deep breath, regaining my composure. Abby is satisfied with this and nods.

"Hold her down. This is going to hurt," she says, hands on the sword. "Once it's out, we have to work fast to stop the bleeding, and check for internal bleeding. We can't stop, we just have to work, got it?"

Jackson and I nod and get on either side of her and Abby counts to three, and pulls the sword. Evelyn instantly wakes and screams in pain.

"Evelyn, honey, you're going to be okay, just hold on," Abby says, throwing the sword to the ground and grabbing the bandages. She yells at someone to get Lincoln and his clotting herbs. Evelyn's terrified and pain-filled eyes look to me. I wish I could take it from her. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't be in pain.

"Bellamy," she says distantly. Her saying my name works through me like magic, and stops my heart.

"You're going to be okay," I grasp her hand.

"It hurts," she says so softly, it's almost a whisper.

"I know, I know. But just stay strong, okay? Stay with us."

She squeezes my hand ever so slightly in response before passing out again. I look to Abby desperately, only to be met with her curious eyes. Yes, I know I'm not known for my gentleness but is everyone really that surprised?

Lincoln arrives, breaking our contact. He stops dead at the sight of her.

"A night person," he says quietly.

"Yeah, that's what the grounder called her," I say. "Who are they?"

LIncoln looks at me and gives a sad smile. "They're the only reason we haven't all killed each other by now. We cannot lose her. The night people are a rare gift to his world." And with that, he and Abby set to work.

* * *

"You're lucky you got her here when you did," Abby is covered in blood up to her elbows. We all are. "She wouldn't have lasted much longer with all that internal bleeding."

I nod, looking at Evelyn on the table. She's paler than the sheet she's under, but she is alive. Abby is a miracle worker.

"Bellamy...are you sure we can trust her?" Abby asks gently. I understand where she's coming from; we haven't exactly been having the best of luck in that department lately.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "She saved my life. She was against the grounder attacking me. I don't know anything else."

She nods. "Well I trust you. We'll keep someone on watch with her until she comes to, and be ready for aggression."

"I'll stay with her," I volunteer quickly. Abby raises an eyebrow at me, and then nods.

"Alright, but clean up first. Don't want to scare the poor girl with her own blood."

I manage a small grin, and go to the water bucket in the corner. Evelyn's clothes, along with her swords and my knife are laying on the ground next to the bucket, drying off. I grabbed both her sword and my knife from the grounder before taking off back to camp. A weapon like that would have had to take time to make, so I figured she would want it back. I take the cloth and scrub at my arms. We had worked for what seemed like hours to stop the bleeding. It had been messy, but it worked. Now we just had to wait for her to wake up, and hopefully combat any infection. I can feel Abby studying me from behind. I know she's confused as to why I brought this girl back, as to why I feel such an intense need to save her and not leave her. And I don't have an answer for her. I can't explain my attraction to her, but it's undeniable, and stronger than anything I have ever felt.

Even so, I am not someone who would leave someone for dead, if they were not trying to hurt us. She saved my life, it was only fair.

But I certainly wasn't leaving her now.

I turned back to face Abby as I dried off my arms. She was examining the intricate tattoos on Evelyn's arm. They started in black at her chest and connected to her left arm in a delicate pattern. The black faded to dark purples and blues as it traced down her arm and around her hand. It was beautiful, and vastly different from grounder tattoos.

"These aren't grounder tattoos," Abby remarked. I nodded.

"Lincoln said the night people are a rare gift. She's obviously well trained."

"You don't stand up with a sword in your stomach and kill someone without being well trained," Abby replied, a slight grin. "She's strong. That should have killed her. But that means there's more of them, and we have to be careful. She may have saved your life, but that doesn't mean she and her people are our friends."

I nod, knowing she's right.

"She will have to be monitored for infection," Jackson said. I almost forgot he was here. "Call one of us if she comes to, and check her forehead every so often. If she starts burning up, we're going to have to work fast."

"Alright," I reply. Jackson nods and heads out of the room. Abby smiles at me as she leaves behind him. I plop down on a makeshift chair next to her cot. I play with my knife between my hands, waiting for her to wake up.


	2. Chapter 2

_Evelyn POV_

Pain.

That's all I can feel.

It's searing through my abdomen. I can feel the blood pooling under me. I don't know how he was fast enough to get my sword through me, but he did. I look up and see the guy I stopped the grounder from attacking tackle the grounder, catching him off guard. He stabs his knife through his shoulder. It's a good distraction, but it's not enough to stop someone his size.

Okay, Ev, I tell myself. One more burst of power. Help this boy or you will have died for nothing because he'll die too.

I muster every ounce of power and will I didn't know existed within me, and hauled myself up, twisting the other half of my sword off the handle sticking out of me. I try not to think about the other sword sticking through me. The boy and I lock eyes, and a spark goes through me. I ignore it, and give him a small nod, hoping he'll understand to get out of the way. Thankfully, he's smart, and ducks just in time for me for propel myself forward and shove my sword through the grounder's back and through his chest. He sputters for a moment, then falls over.

I smile in victory, but it is momentary. The pain floods back to me after my short burst of adrenaline, and it consumes me. I collapse, hitting the hard ground.

I don't remember much more, but I remember him. He hurried over to my side and bent over me, making jokes about us making a good team. But I can see the worry in his eyes. I can't be far from death; I've seen these injuries before. People don't usually survive them. I want to tell him to leave me, but I have no strength left. He says he's going to take me back to his camp, that a doctor will help me. All I can do is nod. I gaze up at him, admiring his eyes. They're dark and intense, and compliment his dark brown shaggy hair. He works quickly, and warns me of pain as he tilts me sideways to wrap his jacket around the wound, which appears to have gone all the way through me. I yell out in pain, it's too much.

"What's your name?" he asks, trying to distract me and keep me conscious.

"Evelyn," I manage to reply. Even my own voice sounds muffled and miles away.

"Evelyn, I'm Bellamy. And I need you to stay awake, okay? Stay with me, I'm going to help you, I won't let anything else happen to you."

The last thing I remember is thinking how beautiful the name Bellamy is.

* * *

 _Bellamy POV_

I don't actually know how long it is when she wakes up. I didn't sleep, but I was in a daze, until she started mumbling and moving around on the cot. I sit up in anticipation. She starts whimpering slightly and grasping the blanket with her hands. I instinctively put a hand on her arm.

"Hey, hey you're okay." Her eyes flutter open and she blinks several times to focus on me.

"Bellamy," she says softly. I smile.

"Welcome back."

"Where am I?" she asks quickly, fear creeping into her voice as she tries to look around. She twists too much and gasps in pain.

"Hey, don't move too much. You had a hell of a wound. It's gonna be painful, and you need to rest," I put my hand back on her arm and she looks at me, breathing fast. "You're in our camp. Our doctor saved you. You're safe here, I promise."

This seems to relax her a little. She nods while looking around as much as she can without moving too much. "You are the sky people?"

"Yeah, we're the sky people," I respond with a small grin.

"And this is your sky home?" She looks at me questioningly. Her eyes are sunken into their sockets and her skin is pale, but her eyes light up with curiosity.

"More or less. The ground is our home now," I look at her, still looking scared, but relaxing. "Can I get you anything?"

"Water?" She asks. I hurry to grab a cup of water and bring it back to her.

"Let me help you," I say as she struggles to lift herself into a seated position. I lift her head and place my bag behind her and my (now mostly clean) jacket on top of the bags. She slides back against them and I help rest her head on the jacket. She sighs.

"Thank you. I'm not used to needing help like this." She's clearly annoyed with herself and I can't help but be a little amused at that. The girl survived what should have been a fatal wound. The fact that she's even awake and talking and moving is a miracle.

"You're also probably not used to being stabbed through the abdomen with a sword," I grin and hand her the water. She returns the grin this time, and even that small smile is contagious to me.

"It's a first, I have to say," she cocks her head at me after she takes a sip of water. "Why did you save me? Why not leave me there?"

"I'm not one to leave people to die," I respond while sitting back in my seat next to her. "Besides, I could ask you the same thing. You saved me first."

She shook her head. "Trikru have no idea what a truce means. There are those loyal to Lexa that will follow her to the ends of the abyss, and then there are those who know and want only war."

"You still didn't have to save me."

"But it'd be a shame to let a pretty face like that go to waste," she laughs, and I'm filled with inexplicable happiness. What is this girl doing to me? "Like you said, we make a good team."

"Yeah I'm sure glad I ducked out of the way in time," I grin, thinking of her small nod in the woods to tell me to get the heck out of the way. Then I think about what the grounder called her, and what stopped Lincoln in his tracks. "Evelyn, the grounder referred to you as Night people...who are you?" I say kind of lamely.

She takes a moment to look at me before responding. "We are another clan on this planet. We are warriors, but peaceful ones, formed from the violence of the bombs. A long time ago, when the Earth was wiped out, the survivors formed their own countries," she took a deep and shaky breath, and I instantly wish I would have waited for her to be stronger to interrogate her. "It worked well at first, but differences became quickly apparent. There were those who wanted to be violent and live a certain way, and there were those who wanted to peace, to only use violence when necessary. My great grandmother and grandfather were the founders of that movement. They did not want to be savages, but live as the world was meant to be. We're peaceful. We have schools and jobs...we make clothes, medicines, farm, and so on. But living on the ground now...well, you have to be able to defend yourself. So we're also highly trained. That's why we're called the people of the night...our training exists almost entirely in the dark, so that we don't fear it, and fighting in the light is nothing in comparison. We also do all our hunting at night."

"Wow," I say, taking in what she said. There were others here, more civilized people here.

"Yes. Decent humans do still exist," she grins, practically reading my mind. "And on behalf of all of Earth, I apologize for your encounters with the tree people."

I laugh. "Well thanks. Good to know more people are out there." I jump up at remembering what I noticed most about her at first. "Hey! I almost forgot, I have your swords."

Her eyes light up as I grab them from the wall. "These are so awesome," I say, admiring them.

"You think so? Thank you, I built them myself."  
"You what?" I can't believe that. She's incredible.

"Well we have to be useful somehow," she grinned. "But you haven't even seen the best part. Do you have my sheath?"

I nod, grabbing it from under where her clothes are hanging to dry.

"Flip the swords on one another and sheath them, then push down," she instructed.

I did as I was told. The swords easily flipped on one another so that they were the size of one sword, and the handle at the end. I slipped the sheath on, and pushed, as she said. To my amazement, the swords collapsed into the sheath, and it ended up only being slightly larger than the handle itself. I looked at it in awe.

"Very impressive," I say, keeping my tone cool. "I want one."

She laughs. "I'll be happy to make you one and teach you to use it, once I'm healthy again."

I put the sword down and look at her, and the question that's been burning on my tongue comes out. "Evelyn, do you have people in Mount Weather?"

Her bright eyes darkened. "Anyone living on the ground without a hazmat suit has people trapped in Mount Weather."

"They took ours too," I said darkly. 47 of them, to be exact. 47 of my friends that I landed here with. 47 people that banded together, and, for some unknown reason, followed after mine and Clarke's leadership. And I failed to keep them safe. I failed to keep them from the mountain. But maybe it wasn't all bad; for if we were all taken, the newcomers wouldn't know where we were or how to get in.  
But then again, maybe Clarke would have still escaped.  
I have a plan of my own, or a suggestion to a plan, of getting in there, and no one is going to like it. Especially Clarke. But it has to be done.

"Oh, no," Evelyn's face scrunched up, bringing me back to reality. "Bellamy, do you and your people have a plan?"

"We're working on it. I don't know though what's going to happen. I don't trust our 'alliance' with the grounders." I emphasize the word alliance. It's not much of an alliance when you demand blood for it first.

"Me neither. We've been scouting and trying to get in the mountain for months, but we've lost so many people in trying, that we've retreated to try a new approach. We can't lose anymore…" Her voice cracked at the end, and I squeeze her arm.

"We'll get them back. I promise. We won't let anyone die in vain." She nodded and took a deep breath of composure. I understand losing people. I understand her pain all too well. A pain I never thought I'd have to experience until we landed on the ground.

"We can help. I know you have an alliance with the grounders, but my people are skilled as well. We can help you, and together we can get everyone back."I look at her. If there's a whole army with her skills, we would be set.

"You know that they would help us?"

"We want nothing else than our people out of there, and to be free of the fear of the mountain. My brother is the leader of our coven, and I am his right hand. In our language, he is called _Shadimme,_ and I am the _Pommille._ We have a council of elders, but we make the ultimate decisions." She smiles, realizing I have no idea what that means. "Basically I have a lot of power, so yes, I think so."

What do those words mean? _Shadimme_ and _Pommille?_ " They sound French to me; maybe that's where their accent comes from? I can't place it. But we are in what used to be the United States, so it doesn't make sense to have French names and accents.  
But okay, Bellamy, I think, this is not the same world that was destroyed a hundred years ago. Keep an open mind.

"They mean NightKing and NightQueen, respectively," Evelyn responds. "They are words of honor, and respect. We are a democracy, and typically, it is meant that husband and wife that rule our clan, and they are the _Shadille_ , meaning NightLords which is the ultimate honor. Only…" she paused, and I saw emotion well up in her eyes. "Only the last rulers were my parents. But they were killed on the last mission to get into the mountain," she says quietly and painfully. I take her hand instinctively. Her face is covered in pain, and I wish for nothing more than to be able to take it from her. "When they were gone, we were elected to take over, or moreso, my brother was. But as he is not wed yet, I was elected his right hand. It works well, my brother and I do well together. It is no easy job."

"Do I finally understand that," I say, shaking my head at the decisions we've been faced with since we landed. "I hated our leadership on the Ark..which is this," I motion to the entirety of the ship. "I thought they were ruthless. Then I get down here, and for some reason, became a leader of our people, I'm suddenly faced with way more difficult decisions than I ever thought possible. Doesn't excuse the ruthlessness of the Ark leadership, but it does give me more grounds for understanding."

"How did you come here? And why?" She asks suddenly.

I grin. " _That_ is a very long story."

"Well I would like hear it sometime. I am fascinated with you sky people. You are brave. The stories we hear prove that, but," she reaches out and gently touches my cheek. Electricity shoots through me. "They leave out how kind you are."

I give a small grin, not really knowing how to respond. "I'm not sure I would call us that, but thank you." I pause for a moment, thinking about what she said about her parents. "Evelyn?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry about your parents. I understand, I lost mine too." I'm not sure why I'm telling her that I lost my parents too, but I feel like she needed to hear it. Her expression shows that I was right.

"I'm sorry. It is not a pain I would wish on anyone." I nod in agreement.

She smiles and shifts in her bed, and winces in pain. For a moment there I forgot how hurt she really was. I can see the physical pain in her face. My momentary bliss passes and I'm filled with concern for her.

"How are you feeling?" She looks paler than before, and that worries me.

"Spectacular," she grinned.

I roll my eyes. "Do you mind?" I ask for her permission to feel her forehead. She shakes her head and I press the back of my hand to her forehead. I was right; she is burning up.

"I'm going to get Abby and Jackson. You're burning up." I don't wait for her response as I hurry out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks for the great reviews so far!_**

 _Bellamy_

By the time I get back, which could only have been minutes at most, Evelyn looked terrible. She was paler than when I left her, sweating, and uncontrollably trembling. Abby and I rushed to her and her skin was on fire, and her sweat cool.

"Evelyn, I'm Abby, I'm a doctor," Abby says to her as she feels her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You saved me before, thank you," she replied weakly.

"And I'm going to do it again, okay? Just hang in there." Jackson had come in and Abby orders him to get Lincoln. At the same time, Evelyn lurches to her side, and my reflexes barely catch her before she falls out of the bed. She vomits all over the floor next to me. I continue to hold her and pull her hair back until she finishes and is breathing hard.

"What's wrong with me?" She asks me helplessly as I lay her back down gently. She doesn't let go of her grip on my arm. I shake my head and look to Abby. This is happening so insanely fast, she was fine when I left her.

"It's not the wound, it's not infected," she stares to a nearby wall, I can practically see steam coming out of her ears from how fast her brain is working. "Sepsis," she says suddenly. I've heard that word before. I didn't pay much attention in classes about those things, but I know that it's some type of infection, and not a good thing. She grabs a scalpel and gives a small incision into Evelyn's arm. Her grip tightens on me, but she doesn't call out.

"Her blood is infected," Abby says desperately. "The sword sliced her bowel..it was small and I cauterized it but enough bacteria must have gotten out into her bloodstream in the meantime. I...I don't know how to do this here…" helplessness plagues her voice.

"Abby," I say, cautious to control my voice, not moving from my place next to Evelyn. "Abby yes, you do. What needs to be done?"

She shakes her head vigorously while she sets up an IV bag faster than I've ever seen. "I can fight the infection, but I need dialysis...like a filter for what's already infected, and I don't have one of those working here…."

"Abby," struggling to keep my voice calm. My mind's working frantically. Where the hell do you get a dialysis machine around here if Abby doesn't already have one? Even if we could scrounge parts, how do you get something like that working?  
 _Duh Bellamy_ , the little voice in my head chimes as a lightbulb goes off. We happen to have a mechanical genius here on the ground. "Abby, get Raven. If anyone can figure that out, it's her."

Abby's face lights up at this and the determination returns to her face. I relax a little, when Abby is hopeless, there is usually no hope.

"Jackson," she says as Lincoln and Jackson return. "I put an IV in her, but she needs antibiotics. Give her the cocktail; there's no time to figure out what bacteria it is. I need to find Raven." And she disappears. As Lincoln moves closer to see what he can do to help, I look to Evelyn, who has tears in her eyes.

"You don't need to go through all this trouble," she says quietly as Jackson draws up a large needle of liquid. I kneel down so I'm eye level with her.

"I promised you that I wouldn't let anything else happen to you. I intend to keep that promise." I can feel Lincoln staring at this exchange. I wish he would just help instead of psychoanalyzing my every move.

She smiles a little and nods. "I don't want to die, Bellamy. I'm scared."

"Hey," I say, gently pushing wet strands of her dark hair away from her face. "You're not going to, alright? I promised you." I stop myself before the next word comes out. _Beautiful_ is on my tongue, and I have no idea why. It's not that it's not true, but it's uncharacteristic of me. If there is a chance she might die...no I can't think like that. She's going to live. "Abby is really good at what she does. You're going to be okay. Just hold on."

She grips my hand tighter. "Don't leave me." Her words cut through me like a knife, and my heart aches for her. I grip her hand with all the strength I have without hurting her and stroke her hair.

"Never."

Abby returns moments later with Raven and Clarke in tow. Raven is carrying a large bag of clunking things, and Clarke's eyes are wild as she surveys the scene.

"Not a grounder?" She asks me questioningly. It has hardly been a day since she escaped from Mount Weather and returned to us, and she's still frantic with her memories and trying to get back there, and I can see it in her eyes; she's not all here.

"I'm not a grounder," Evelyn replies quietly from the bed before I can answer. Her eyes are closed, but she's still conscious, even if barely.

"Sorry, I just don't know very well…" Clarke stumbles over her words. A small smile creeps across Evelyn's face.

"I know, sky person," she opens her eyes to look at Clarke. "I have seen you before," she remarks. "You escaped the mountain."

Clarke shifts uncomfortably and nods. "Word travels fast. I'm Clarke."

"Evelyn. It does when you're a queen. We will need you if we are ever to get back in." Even for being on the verge of fighting death, her voice is dignified, albeit quiet. She's a true leader to be thinking about her people while on her own deathbed.

"What?" Clarke looks at me again. I start to speak, but Evelyn continues so softly that Clarke is a foot away from her face to hear her.

She takes a deep shaky breath. I glance over at Abby and Raven working furiously to put together a filter. I also notice that Octavia has come in to see what was going on. I give her a nod and she comes over. "We have people trapped in the mountain, too."

"We'll get them out," Clarke replies almost instantly. "But you need your life saved first." She looks at me with a confused face. I shake my head slightly. Explanations can come later.

And as if to prove Clarke's point, Evelyn convulses over the side of the bed again, and luckily I am better prepared to catch her this time as she vomits.

"Bellamy keep her on her side until she's done, or she'll choke," Jackson says urgently. Well that's going to help me keep calm. I'm not stupid; I wouldn't let her choke. I take a deep breath. We're all under stress here, and Jackson is just doing his job.

I keep her held against me on her side until she's heaving again. She goes limp in my arms and I gently lift her back into the bed. Her skin is ghastly pale with a greenish tint to it now, and her trembling is getting worse.

"Abby…" I say, and my desperateness must finally come through my voice, because Octavia puts a strong hand on my shoulder. I had almost forgotten she was here.

"Bell, what happened?" Octavia asks quietly. I quickly recount the story while Jackson checks over Evelyn and Abby and Raven clink things together. Clarke listens to the story and I see it register on her face that the grounders aren't all on board with a truce yet. Octavia's eyes grow wide, and I see worry, but her voice and demeanor are strong. I swell with pride at how strong she has become since we've been on the ground.

"She'll be okay. Abby will help her." Octavia's words are comforting, but I won't relax until she is safe. Clarke nods in agreement with Octavia.

"My mom _will_ save her," Clarke says determinedly. Looks like we're all suddenly invested in this mystery night girl.

"Alright!" Abby's voice thunders over all of us. "We are ready. Those of you helping, get ready. Those of you who spectating, no offense, but get out."

Nobody moves. Abby eyes us all before nodding.

"Okay, let's get started."

* * *

 _Evelyn_

Stories we heard about the sky people have nothing on the actual experience.

They are brave and resourceful, just as we have heard.

But to go so far out of their way for one life, and a life not even of their own people, it is incredible. Without the sky people, I would be dead right now. Twice, it seems.

It's quiet now, whereas earlier it had been chaotic. I'm grateful for the silence because my head is pounding. But I feel better. My skin is no longer on fire, and the overwhelming nausea is gone. I wriggle my fingers and toes; at least I still have control over my body, as battered as it may be.

I cautiously bring my hand to my side, and feel the massive bandages covering the throbbing wound. It's painful beyond anything I've experienced, but I'm alive. If not for Bellamy...I would be dead.

Bellamy...his face flashes through my mind and I feel butterflies in my stomach. He was so handsome, and so caring. I'm instantly infatuated with him, but it's just because he's saved my life twice now. A man like that probably has his pick of females, so I vow to be careful around him and keep the infatuation at bay. It will die down the more I recover, anyway.

I wonder how long I've been out. I struggle to open my eyes, and once they do, I'm surprised to see that it's dark where I am, save for a few torches. I'm in a different room than I was earlier, a smaller room, and it seems cozy. I'm in some type of cot, but I am tilted up. I'm grateful for that as well; at least that will eliminate needing as much help to drink anything. I can see that it's dark outside now, so I must have been out for hours, for last time I was awake, it was daytime.

I hear a door open softly and I look to see who's coming into the room. My stomach flips when I notice the shaggy hair of Bellamy. He is carrying something, although I can't see what, and he's trying to be quiet.

"Bellamy," I try to say, but it only comes out as a raspy whisper. Luckily, it seems that sky people have super hearing, because he turns around instantly and relief washes over his face, or what I can see of it anyway.

"Hey," he says softly, as he lights another torch. I can see now that he is carrying a blanket. "Welcome back, again." He softly touches my face, and then feels my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I say, voice still raspy. He puts the blanket down and picks up a cup of water on the floor and hands it to me. I take it greedily, but it seems I'm weaker than I think, and can't even hold the cup without shaking. Bellamy smiles gently and puts his hand over mine to steady me. I down the cool liquid and thank him.

"I've been forcing water down your throat to keep you hydrated, so if you hear that I was drowning you, that's why," he laughs. "You're really stubborn."

"Oh, thanks," I return his laugh, my voice stronger now. "I'm not responsible for what an unconscious me does, so, thanks for drowning me."

He grins and shakes his head. "So you are really feeling better?"

"Yes. Still in pain, obviously weak, but the nausea is gone, and I don't feel like I'm on fire, so that's a good sign."

"I'd say so," he sat down on the side of the bed. "You scared us all there for a moment. You were fine and suddenly...you weren't. I need you to not do that again, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask, really," he smirks. That smirk melts me into a puddle I'm not sure I can recover from. _Stop it,_ I scold myself.

"You said you've been keeping me hydrated...how long have I been out?" I ask cautiously. It must be longer than I'm thinking.

"About two and a half days. You've kind of been in and out of consciousness." He looks down. Okay, so me being unconscious hasn't been a pleasant experience for them. I can't imagine how I've acted.

"What?" I can't believe I was out for almost three days.

"Now you know why we were worried. Your fever finally broke earlier today, we figured it was a matter of time until you fully came to." He smiles at me. "I'm glad you did."

"You and me both," I sigh, resting my head back. I look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Abby wanted someone to be with you at all times, in case you got worse or woke up, and of course to force-feed you water."

"Wait, you've been here for over two days?" I connect with what he said earlier.

"More or less. I've had some things to attend to around camp, and Octavia or Clarke or Raven took my place temporarily. But for the most part, yeah," he finished sheepishly.

"Thank you," I say, smiling. Does he not have better things to do than watch over some sickly girl? I imagine he has to, and he should not be neglecting those responsibilities for me. But I say nothing, because it is sweet of him. I just feel guilty for taking so much of their time and resources.

"I, uh, was planning on staying in here tonight to watch over you," he indicates the blanket. "Is that okay?"

I fight the feelings that rise at the thought of him sleeping in the same room as me, watching over me. I nod.

"Of course, but please don't forego your responsibilities for me."

He grinned. "It's the middle of the night. This is my place. And besides, you asked me not to leave you. Gotta be careful what you wish for." He places a hand on mine and my breath catches for a second. "Can I get you anything else?" I shake my head. He smiles. "Now rest." He stands up from the cot. I watch him take his shirt off and try not to stare too much at him. This is not an easy feat. He's entirely too well-built, and his muscles outline every inch of his upper body. He lays on a rug on the ground, using his jacket as a pillow, and pulls the blanket over him. I stare at the ceiling.

"I told you to rest," he says jokingly after a few moments.

"It seems I've slept for over two days," I say, even though I am still exhausted. "Bellamy?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you." I realized I hadn't said it yet. And so many thanks are needed.

"No need to thank me, NightQueen."

"On the contrary, there is every need, Bellamy….do you have a last name?"

"Blake."

"Bellamy Blake," I admire the name. "It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you. So is Evelyn."

"Well thank you."

We lay in silence a little longer.

"You're still awake, aren't you?" his voice floats up to me.

"How can you tell?" I stare at the metal ceiling above me.

"Sky people magic," I can practically see the smirk on his face, even though I can't see him.

"Tell me about life before you came here," I say after a moment. "What was it like in the sky?"

* * *

 _Bellamy_

These three days have been exhausting.

Between trying to keep some of my duties in camp and my people and trying take care of Evelyn as much as possible while being worried about her...I'm mentally and physically drained.

Yet I lay here, unable to sleep. Even though she's finally recovering and well, I just can't get myself to sleep.

I don't understand my attraction to her. It's driving me crazy. It's like something awoke in me when I met her. It's absurd. Wanting to call people 'beautiful' for no reason? What is that? I mean, she is beautiful, but my goodness, I don't know her at all, it's not acceptable to be calling her any name other than her own.

And then what is that? Since when do I care about women's feelings? Since when do I hesitate about pet names? Other than the obvious with my sister and mother and friends... _crap_. I pull the cover over my head in angst. I'm turning into a gentleman. Gross.

But I can see it in everyone's eyes too. They've looked at me like I stole some of those hallucinogen-nuts again during this whole ordeal. No one expects me to care the way I have. I notice lately that that's become a greater part of this leadership thing...I do have to care. And I do. But I also have to keep my head on straight, and whatever influence this girl has over me does not make it easy to see past.

I didn't tell Evelyn the full story of her being unconscious. It had been brutal for her. She had woken up often, not lucid, but enough to talk and think we were different people. She spoke to Octavia as if she were her mother. The way O described, it was heartbreaking. To Clarke, she spoke to her as if she were her sister, or best friend. And me...I was spoken to as her father and her brother, interchangeably. And then, as myself.

 _Bellamy, don't leave me_ , she had muttered over and over again. I had tried to get through to her that I was right there, but it was to avail. Except once. She recognized me, briefly, and said that she had been ready to die for me in the woods. She doesn't remember any of it, and I think it's better that way.

I turn on my side and listen to her deep breathing. She finally fell asleep after listening to my stories from the Ark and coming to the ground. Talking about it brought so many memories and feelings to the surface that have been buried under the grounders and war and Mount Weather. I don't miss the Ark in the slightest, but that's not to say there weren't good times there.

She also laughed at my stories at first landing on the ground, what an idiot I was. _Whatever the hell we want_. Good lord, I was an ass. I may not be totally on board with this gentleman thing, but I am on board with not being that much of an asshole anymore.

Clarke had hated me. I laugh at that too. We bashed heads so many times before we stopped fighting and worked together. Turns out, that was the much better option. I appreciate Clarke more than I ever thought I would. We balance each other out as leaders, and I think now between the two of us, Evelyn, Lincoln, Abby and Kane, and yes, even my sister, we can get into that mountain and save our people.

I listen to Evelyn's rhythmic breathing. This girl has been in my life for three days, and already she's had an impact on me. I've certainly changed from the man I landed as. I think back then I would have let her die in the woods. Now I've brought an outsider into our camp and saved her life.

I sigh. I hope I made the right call.

But I trust my gut on this one. I think she and her people can really help us.

I close my eyes and eventually drift to sleep, listening to her breathing the whole time.


	4. Chapter 4

_Evelyn_

"Well, I'd say as long as you feel well enough, you are good to go," Abby smiles at me while she replaces my bandages over my already healing wound. I smile.

"Abby, thank you so much. Words can't express how grateful I am." And I mean it, there is no way many people would take me in the way she has.

"You don't have to, this is my job. But you're welcome," she winks.

"Abby, I would like to have a meeting with your leaders, today." I've been thinking about that a lot since my time here. I've been a stranger for days, and I don't want that anymore. These people have been more than kind to me, and I want to help them get their people out of the mountain.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Bellamy asks quickly. "You should rest."

"I've been resting for days," I respond, smiling at his concerned face. "I can manage to sit and have a conversation with leaders. I don't want to be an outsider anymore. And besides, the people in Mount Weather aren't resting." He looks at me for a minute before nodding in agreement. Abby looks at him and then nods to me.

"We can arrange it this afternoon, if you would like." I can see reluctance in her eyes, but I appreciate her agreeing nonetheless.

"Thank you, Abby. For everything."

"Stop thanking me, Evelyn, you are more than welcome. Now, we have one issue left," her eyes are intense. I see where Clarke gets it. "We are pretty tight here as far as bunking goes. If you are to stay, you will have to find someone to bunk with, if you are okay with that."

"Of course I am! I don't want to intrude anymore than I already have," I respond quickly.

"She can bunk with me," Bellamy chimes in. "Until something more permanent can be set up," he adds at Abby's look. She nods reluctantly.

"Thanks," She looks back to me. "I will find you for the meeting this afternoon."

I nod in thanks and gingerly get up from the bed. Bellamy watches me concernedly, and picks up his and my bags from the ground of the small room. Abby leaves, and we walk slowly after her out of the room and through the Ark.

I haven't been out of the Ark yet, and I'm excited to see their camp. As we walk out of the metal container, I stand for a moment in awe. It's bustling; people doing all sorts of jobs and tasks, and people laughing, talking, and building fires and making food. I grin ear to ear.

"We've done okay for ourselves," Bellamy has that melt-worthy smirk on his face.

"It's wonderful," I say, still in awe of the fluidity of the camp. For such a short time in a world so vastly different than their own, they have done so well.

"I'm glad you think so. Here, I'm this way," he puts a gentle hand on the small of my back and guides me to the right of the entrance of the main Ark. "Are you sure you're okay with bunking with me? I'm sure Clarke or Raven have room in theirs…"

"No, I don't know them yet. I know you. As long as you're okay with it -" I try to keep my voice even. I can't let him see the butterflies in my stomach that I have for getting to stay with hi.

"Of course, I wouldn't have offered otherwise," he responds quickly, leading me to a row of tents not too far outside the metal ship.

"I'm a super fun roommate," I remark. "We can stay up late and tell stories and braid each other's hair and -" I step the wrong way and twist at my side, interrupting myself with a gasp of pain. Bellamy instantly puts a hand around my waist. I stop for a minute to breathe.

"Are you sure that you should be meeting with leaders? You seem like you could still use some rest," he says as he puts my arm around his waist so he can help me walk.

"Yes. I can have a meeting sitting down. I've been at your settlement for days without anyone knowing who I am, and I would like to change that. I want your people to trust me."

"They will," he reassures me.

"Bellamy," a voice comes from in front of us. A man with dark hair comes towards us. "And guest." he smiles warmly.

"Kane," he responds. "This is Evelyn, Queen of the night people. Evelyn, this is Marcus Kane, one of our leaders."

"Nice to meet you," I say, putting out my hand to shake. He takes it warmly.

"The pleasure is mine. I have heard you were here, I was hoping to meet you before our afternoon meeting. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to Abby," I smile at him.

"Yes, she's a miracle worker," he grins. "You look like you could use some rest. I look forward to talking with you later."

"You as well, Marcus Kane." He seems kind, and I really do think I can get through to him for our future.

We move on, and Bellamy leads me to a tent in the corner of the camp. He holds the flap open for me to walk in. It's bigger than it looks on the outside. There's a decent-sized cot against the tent wall covered in comfy-looking blankets. There are clothes hung up over the wires of the tent, and a few short torches in there.

"It's not much, but it works," Bellamy says behind me.

"I love it. Thank you again," I say, and I mean it.

"No thanks needed, again." He puts his bag down and goes to change his jacket. I try not to stare too much at him, but it's difficult not to. He looks at me with those concerned big brown eyes. "I hate to leave you, but I have to take care of a few things around camp before our meeting later. Will you be okay?"

"Bellamy, I am a queen. I am, surprisingly, self-sufficient when I'm not stabbed through my gut with a sword. I will be fine," I smile at him. "You will be coming to the meeting later?" My voice sounds too hopeful for my own liking.

"Of course. I'm a leader here. And there's also no way I'm letting you go alone, NightQueen," He smirks again. "Make yourself at home. I'll ask Raven or O for some extra clothes while you're here if you need more. I'm sure you didn't plan on being stuck. I'll be back later," he squeezes my arm and ducks out of the flap.

I want to lay down and rest some more, but my curiousity has gotten the better of me. I leave the tent to observe the camp.

It's fascinating what the Sky people have done in their short time here. It's obvious they work well together, because things seem to get done like a well-oiled machine. The grounds around the metal ship in the ground are filled with people running about. They have food cooking, clothes drying, and people training with guns and other weapons. For spending their whole life trapped in a metal container, they're picking up on the ground habits well.  
I turn to look at the ship Bellamy and his people have called home for the past hundred years. It's suffocating just to look at. I couldn't imagine what it must have bene like to be stuck inside that circle for life; with no real air or food or anything natural. It seems brutal, and I can't imagine what they must be going through since they landed on the ground. A whole new world, new people, new skills they never knew they would have to know. I admire them and their ability to adapt. I know it hasn't been the easiest journey from what Bellamy has told me, but I admire their bravery here.  
I walk a moment before Octavia's face is in front of mine.

"Hey," she says happily. "It's great to see you up and about. You scared us all."

"So I've heard," I say grinning.

"Here, let's sit," she motions to a table nearby. I sit gingerly; my wound still throbbing.

"I heard you stayed with me at some point, thank you," I say to her.

"Of course," she responds. "Bell asks, I do."

"I admire that. He speaks highly of you." I hadn't asked too much about Octavia, but Bellamy had offered enough about her. I know that due to the population control on the Ark, families were not allowed to have more than one kid, and Bellamy's mother had hidden Octavia for her entire life; until Bellamy brought her to a party and she was caught. Octavia was thrown in jail, Bellamy's nothing was sent into space...what they call 'floated', and he was demoted to a janitor...whatever that means. The responsibility Bellamy took on for his sister is incredible; I know he puts on a tough exterior, but he really loves and cares for her.

"About time, too," she laughs. "Older brothers take forever to gain respect."

"You're right about that, my older brother still thinks I'm six sometimes."

"Yeah! They grow out of it eventually," she looks at me. "So what now? Bell said you have people in Mount Weather?" she leans forward on the table.

"We do," I say darkly. "I intend to work with your people to get everyone out."

"Lincoln speaks highly of your people. I think that would be a great idea."

"We meet this afternoon to talk. I hope they agree."

"They will. They'd be stupid not to. I mean, how many people can stand up with a sword stabbed through them and kill someone?" Octavia grins. "Thanks, by the way. You saved my brother's life that way."

I return her grin. "No thanks needed. But I have to convince your leaders that we are not a threat."

"I don't think that will be difficult. Lincoln has been accepted here, and if he can, you can." From what I know about the sky people's encounters with Trikru, this is a good point.

I nod, looking at the Trikru member standing nearby. He notices us looking, and comes by.

"NightQueen," he says, giving a small bow.

"Please, call me Evelyn," I say, returned the bow.

"NightQueen is respectful. I have the utmost respect for you and your people."

"I also heard that you helped save my life. I have the utmost respect for you, Lincoln," I give him the traditional night people salute; thumb across the palm and facing the palm outward. He nods in respect and sits next to Octavia. "If you need anything else for the pain, let me know. I'm guessing it's almost worn off by now."

Yeah, that would explain a lot.

"I'm okay for now, but thank you," I say sincerely. While we make medicines at our camp and care for the sick and wounded, you are not allowed any during training, unless absolutely necessary. This wound is far worse than anything I got in training, but it does teach you to deal with the pain.

"Hey guys," Clarke has appeared out of nowhere. "I'm glad to see you up and about," she sits next to me.

"Hey, as much as I like being bed-ridden with a fever, I'm glad too," I grin.

"We need to talk about this meeting. What do you plan on doing?" She asks me.

"I plan on convincing your people that I'm not a threat, and that we need to work together for Mount Weather," I say without hesitation. She nods.

"I think that's a good idea," she says distractedly. She glances behind her at another boy with long dark hair. He walks towards her. I don't actually think Clarke had any intention of talking to us; we were just the closest distraction from this boy. I can't help but be a little amused at this encounter.

"Hello, everyone," The dark-haired boy has approached us. He only has eyes for Clarke, though.

"Finn, this is Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Finn."

"Nice to meet you," I say. He returns the greeting, but hardly glances at me.

"Clarke, can I talk to you?" He asks.

"I'm talking here."

"Yeah, I see that, but this will only be a moment." Clarke looks at us briefly and nods. She leaves the table.

"They're a mess," Octavia says, noticing my confused look watching after them. I look at her in question. "He's obsessed with her, but he had a girlfriend, Raven, who you've met, who landed here unexpectedly, so they had a falling out, Raven and Finn broke up, and then when the grounders attacked our original camp, Finn and Bell were separated from us, and Finn went a little insane trying to find Clarke," Lincoln coughs at this. Octavia rolls her eyes. "Okay, a lot of crazy trying to find her. He massacred over half a village."

My mouth gapes.

"It's bad," Octavia confirms. "I have no idea what will happen next. Clarke has negotiated some peace, but it's not going to last long. The alliance is only under the conditions that Finn will be turned over to them at some point. Clarke is just trying to prolong that until she comes up with a better plan."

"If Lexa wants someone, she will get him," Lincoln says. Octavia shakes her head.

"Well, he also shouldn't have massacred half a village, then that wouldn't be a problem."

I look over at Clarke and Finn, having their conversation. It looks like they are pleading with each other. About what, I have no idea.

"What did he hope to accomplish that way?" I ask. I have a hard time understanding any reason for massacring a village if they did not provoke it. Even if they did provoke it. Octavia shrugs.

"He was convinced they were hiding her, even though he searched everywhere. So apparently starting to kill them was his best option to get them to open up. But the ironic part is that at the same time, Clarke and Bellamy and a few others were out looking for him, and found him _after_ he killed them all," she shakes her head. "Like I said, it's a mess."

"And if he isn't given up? What horrors has Lexa promised?"

"War," Lincoln spits. I nod. Typical of Lexa.

"You say Clarke has negotiated with her?"

"Yeah, to extent. I don't know the details really. All I know is that she's bought some time."

"Impressive. Few can get to her," I say, genuinely impressed. Lexa and I have our own past, and our own ledgers with each other. We have an uneasy respect...well her's is probably closer to fear of me and mine is more anger and a strong desire to avoid dealing with her at all costs.

"Leave it to Clarke for that," she says. "Incoming," she mutters, as Marcus Kane approaches us.

"Now, you were supposed to be resting," he says, smiling at me.

"I rested for several days, I've had my fill," I return the smile.

"I hardly call days of a feverish fit rest. I wanted to thank you as well. You saved Bellamy's life, and thanks may have been overlooked in the chaos of the past few days."

Octavia scoffs. "Not by me! He is my brother."

Kane grins. "Okay, well on behalf of the rest of us not blood-related to Bellamy, thank you. He's an integral part of our system here, and we do need him. But never tell him that," he adds. "It'll go straight to his head."

I laugh. "Okay. No thanks needed, Marcus."

"It is always needed," He turns to walk away. "Our meeting will be in two hours, I look forward to it."  
I nod, "As do I." He walks off.

"Is there anything I can help with around here? I don't do well idle," I say. Octavia laughs.

"You had a sword in your side and a fever for days. You don't have to do anything," she pauses. "Actually, if you are a glutton for punishment, I bet Raven could use some help. She's working on radio communications to Mount Weather. Are you any good with electronics?"

"I'm not half bad," I say, and it's true. It's not my forte, but I've wired some things around our camp before. Besides, I believe Raven is the girl responsible for building the filter machine they used to save me. I would like to meet her.

"Okay, cool, let's go," she bids Lincoln goodbye for now. We walk towards the giant metal Ark in the ground. I glance out of the corner of my eye where Bellamy is working with a few other guys with putting together guns. He happens to glance over at me at the same time and gives me a 'why are you up and about' look, and I look away, blushing.

"Raven!" Octavia greets her as we walk into what looks like a communications center. "Any more luck on that radio?"

"That's a negative," she says, spinning around to greet us. "Oh! Evelyn! You're awake!" she says surprisedly. I smile.

"I am, finally. And I wanted to thank you for looking after me...and building that machine that saved my life."

"Oh, I mean, it was no big deal.." she shrugs it off, but I can see her beaming underneath. I'm glad; she deserves to be proud. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Well I wouldn't be standing here otherwise, so it _is_ a big deal, and it won't be forgotten," I look at all her stuff in the room. "I came to see if I could be of any help."

"Do you know electronics?" She asks hopefully.

"I've wired a few radios and radars here and there, but I wouldn't say it's my niche. What is it you're trying to do, exactly?"

"Get a radio inside Mount Weather. They have all our channels jammed, but they have to be able to communicate somehow, right? I'm trying to tap into that."

"Then we know their next moves," Octavia says. "And what's happening to our friends."

I nod, admiring their hopefulness. I decide not to mention that we've tried the same thing with no luck. Our best communicator couldn't break it. But, Raven is definitely someone skilled, so maybe she can figure it out.

"Well, I don't do well idle, so please, put me to work," I say. Raven laughs.

"Alright, but be careful what you wish for."

"I'm out, electronics is so not my thing. Catch ya later," Octavia hops off the table she was sitting on and ducks out of the room.

"Okay, let's see what you got, night girl."

I grin at this, and we set to work.


	5. Chapter 5

_Bellamy_

"Thank you all for coming, really," Evelyn beams at the table of leaders that have come together to listen to her. Abby, Kane, Lincoln, Clarke, Octavia, David Miller, and myself are all sitting around the table. She seems totally calm and ready to talk about her plans. "I first want to apologize for intruding on your camp for so many days. It was certainly not my intention. But in that time, you have proven the kind of people you are, and for that, I owe you my life. I have the deepest gratitude and appreciation for what you've done for me, and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Several people nod and mutter responses, no one seeming to want to boost their ego any more, at least not outwardly. She continues.

"As it turns out, we have something in common with you, sky people. We, too, have had our people taken to Mount Weather. They are ruthless, and those of us that can live on the ground without a hazmat suit are in constant danger. I intent to get them out, in any way that I can. And I would like to work together for that." She's confident and radiant in her words; it's inspiring. At least to me. I can't imagine what she's like in front of her own people.

"You exactly are your people?" Miller asks, kind of abruptly. I know he's on edge because his son is in the mountain. I miss having little Miller around; we have been good friends for a long time. I just hope he's okay. Kane shifts uncomfortably at Miller's tone, but Evelyn just smiles. She explains who the night people are, much like how she explained them to me, making sure to emphasize that they aren't so different from us.

"I know that you are making an uneasy alliance with Trikru," she says. "But I assure you, we are not them. We do not require a head for our alliances. I simply think that we share a common goal, and that we are far stronger together than not. Between our knowledge of this area and your technology, not to mention the skill sets of both of our peoples, and the brute force of the Trikru, we _can_ get all of our people out of there and end the fear. And truly, the only way to achieve the peace you seek on the ground is to eliminate their threat." Those words resonate. What does eliminating the threat consist of? Are we willing to kill them all for our people? My first instinct is yes. But that nagging voice in the back of my head protests. If any of our people are still alive, then that means someone in there is helping them. Are we really going to be ready to kill them? Again, the stronger of my voices answers yes. I shift uneasily and look to Abby and Kane.

The leaders look at each other. "So what do you propose happens next? Will your people seriously consider an alliance with us?" Kane asks, looking back to Evelyn. She had explained that they are a democracy, and voting was taken very seriously in regards to matters like this. Nice concept, something maybe the Ark should take notes on.

"Yes. We want nothing more than our people home safe, and no more taken from us," her eyes shine. "As long as my brother is on board, you will have your alliance."

"Then bring him here," Kane says with finality. I'm surprised it's him doing most of the talking than Abby, seeing as she is the official Chancellor. But she is nodding along. "If he agrees in the idea of an alliance, bring him here and we can discuss actual terms of our plan."

"Excellent," she was beaming again. Her determination is unwavering; she knew she was going to win this one. "I will travel to my village tomorrow, it is only a few hours from here. And shall return the next day with Ty, should he agree...which I mean, he will, I'm his little sister, and I'm irresistibly charming," she adds quickly, smiling.

"Very well," Kane says with a laugh. He is also smiling, genuinely.

"I should need one of your people to come as well," Evelyn says, scanning the table. "It will do my brother and people much good to see one of you and hear you out as well."

"I can go," Clarke jumps on it, and my heart sinks a little bit. Clarke was the real leader at the dropship camp. It only makes sense for her to go. People listen to her. She's a natural leader. Me...well I just kind of bullied my way in. Abby looks at her, shaking her head.

"You are orchestrating the careful alliance with Lexa. You have to stay here for that," she says firmly. Clarke looks defeated for a moment, and then nods; she knows her mother is right. Without her, Lexa would attack at any moment.

"I'll go," I don't wait for someone else to try to jump the gun. They look at me, and Abby and Kane exchange a look before turning to me.

"That can work," Kane says, carefully studying me. "Just don't do anything stupid to screw it up," he adds, winking. I laugh.

"I'll do my best, but I promise nothing." I'm glad we are on good terms now. It's much better than the 'I'm out to make your life a living hell' relationship we used to have.

"Very well," Evelyn says, smiling at me. "We leave at first light tomorrow."

"Now, I'd like to discuss more of this plan…" Miller says after everyone agrees. He's anxious for his son, and the sooner this happens, the better.

And everyone talks for what seems like forever, putting the details together of the best plan against Mount Weather, what has and hasn't been tried, and what Clarke knows about getting back in.  
It's exhausting, but for the first time since we found out what was happening there, it's hopeful.

* * *

"That couldn't have gone any better!" Evelyn is beaming in my tent later that night. I grin at her. She's right; it couldn't have. She's a brilliant speaker; it's obvious why she's a respected queen.

"It was great. You were great. Are you sure you are strong enough to go tomorrow to Shalom?" I'm worried she hasn't let herself recover enough. Even now, she's sitting on the edge of my cot by my command after she almost fell over again from pain. She nods.

"Look, I'm sitting right now, I'll rest tonight. The trek to Shalom is several hours, but it is easy. I know it as the back of my hand. Don't worry about me, Mr. nurse," she grins at me. I know she's stubborn, but if she hurts herself more, I'll be livid.

"I don't have to because I'll be there, stubborn NightQueen. But if I have to carry you the whole way, I get full rights to say 'I told you so'." I joke. Although it's probably not as much of a joke as it should be. I would get full rights to 'I told you so'.

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

I lay down some blankets on the ground while she talks, preparing a place for me to sleep. Evelyn raises an eyebrow at this.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"As much as I like the cold hard ground, I do appreciate a little cushion to sleep on," I grin, without looking up.

"No way, I'm not going to let you sleep on the ground when I'm the intruder!" She stands and puts her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Well you're insane if you think I'm going to let you sleep on the ground," I say, standing back up and matching her pose.

"Why? It's not like I've never slept on the ground before."

"A, you're a girl. You automatically get dibs on the better sleeping arrangement. B, you're injured. C, you already let me sleep on the floor in your room in the med bay," I count on my fingers. "Why is this different?"

"I wasn't an intruder there."

"Please, I offered my place for you, this was fully anticipated. Okay?" I look up at her. She glares at me, the gold in her eyes practically flickering.

"Fine. But we'll figure something better out when we return. I won't let you do this every night," she huffs stubbornly as she sits back down on the cot. I can't help but think she's cute when she pouts.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," I smirk. "Get some rest." I change my shirt and quickly get under the covers; it's getting colder outside by the minute. I mentally remind myself to pack an extra jacket in the morning, in case it gets even colder tomorrow.

"Can I blow out that torch?" Evelyn asks after a few minutes. Crap, I meant to do that before I got under the covers. I don't want her tearing at her wound anymore than she already has.

"I got it," I say as I get up. "I meant to do it before I laid down." I grab the metal bowl we made to put out torches, and go to place it over the flame when I look down at Evelyn and notice she has the covers pulled up to her chin and is shivering.

"You're freezing," I remark. She shakes her head.

"It _is_ cold outside, that happens here. But I'm fine." She's so stubborn. What is it with my life and stubborn girls?

"No, you're already injured, the last thing you need is to get another fever on top of that."

"I'm not going to get a fever from it being a little chilly, Bellamy," she says, an edge to her voice. I'm already picking up the blankets from the ground.

"Here," I place them on the cot. She raises an eyebrow at me.

"And what are you going to use to keep warm?"

"Uh, well," I say, not really having thought that far. She rolls her eyes.

"You're not gonna be much use carrying me if you have a fever too, or freeze to death." she quips.

"It's not a big deal," I curse my newfound chivalry.

She laughs this time, gold eyes sparkling. "Stop being ridiculous. Come on, this cot is plenty big enough for both of us," she scoots over carefully and motions to the other half of the cot to prove her point.

I look at her for a moment. The last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable. "Are you sure?"

"You don't scare me, Bellamy," she grins in the most attractive way. _Well, that makes one of us_ , I think.

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"I wouldn't have offered if I was afraid of that," she says, phrasing the words I said earlier. "Besides, it will be far warmer that way, and we can both actually rest before our trek tomorrow. It only makes sense."

She's right; this is the only solution it seems to ensure that we don't develop chills before the morning. I purse my lips.

"Okay, you win" I put my hands up in surrender. She grins in victory and pats the bed next to her. I put the torch out and huddle quickly under the covers. She turns to face away from me as I get situated and lay on my back. She was right. It was definitely warmer.

"Are you warm now?" I ask genuinely. I see her dark hair wave across the pillow.

"Mhm, told you," she responds sleepily.

"Whatever, stubborn NightQueen. When I kick you accidentally in the middle of the night, I don't wanna hear any complaints."

"Right back atcha," she laughs softly and my stomach does flips.

"Seriously, this is okay with you? I mean it," I don't want her to cover up being uncomfortable with jokes. She twists slightly so I can see her face in the dim light. Even though it's dark, I can still see the specks of gold flickering in her eyes.

"Seriously, yes. Now stop asking," she replies, and I'm satisfied with the sincerity of her voice. She rolls back over. "Just keep those wandering hands to yourself, Blake."

I give a small laugh and relax. She's asleep within minutes; I know she must be exhausted. I'm relieved that her breathing has remained rhythmic and deep. During her feverish nights, it was ragged and shallow, and I was constantly afraid it was just going to stop.

But why was I afraid? I mean I know the girl a little better now that I've actually talked to her, but I hardly talked to her when I sat with her those nights. People die all the time out here, not that it's ever okay, but I had no reason to grieve her other than in passing. Yet I was so afraid for her. In fact, many of us were. Although I may have an indescribable attraction to her, she's still a kind and grateful person, and that has worn off on many of the people at camp already.

I fall asleep quickly; probably the quickest since we've landed. And I remain in a deep sleep until I hear rustling and muttering next to me. I open one sleepy eye and see Evelyn moving around in her sleep and mumbling words I can't hear at first. I listen a little closer, and I start to make them out.

"I don't want to die, don't let me die, please. Please don't leave me," she mutters, her face scrunched up in pain. I swallow a lump; those are things she said while she was feverish. I want to wake her from whatever nightmare she's having, but she starts rustling around more intensely, and muttering louder.

"Don't leave me." As I go to put a hand on her shoulder to wake her, she shoots up into a sitting position, breathing hard.

"Hey, you're okay," I say, sitting up next to her. "It was just a bad dream."

She blinks sleep from her eyes and nods, still visibly shaken. I put an arm around her; she's trembling.

"I've had them the last few nights," she says. "I guess bad dreams come with the near-death experience." She smiles wearily in the dark.

"It'll get better," I reassuringly squeeze her shoulders. She looks at me.

"I was ready to die for you in the woods, you know," she says. Exactly like she said while she was unconscious. "Somehow I knew that I had to save you, regardless of what happened to me. But I expected you to leave me there," her eyes are wide. "I'm glad you didn't."

I'm taken aback by her honesty. It's refreshing. "Never," I say softly. "I'd never leave you." I pull her close and she rests her head against my shoulder. I hold her for a few moments, basking in this genuine exchange, and then gently suggest that we should try to get more sleep. She agrees, and we lay back down.

"Bellamy?" She asks as we settle back down. She turns away from me again, but is much closer to me than the first time we laid down.

"Hm?"

"I'm really glad it was you in the woods." My stomach flips. I couldn't imagine how different this would be had it been someone else in the woods. Would she be in bed with another guy? And if not her in the woods, would I even be alive? My gratitude soars for her.

"Me too," I put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeeze it. She's still trembling. "Are you still cold? You're still shaking."

"Only a little," she replied, sleepiness creeping back into her voice. "Mostly the bad dream."

"Come here then," I say, and she doesn't hesitate to scoot closer to me so I can wrap my top arm around her to keep her warm..and safe. "Better?" I ask.

"Much. But I warned you about those wandering hands," she says with a little laugh.

"Mhm, I warned you about getting a fever and 'I told you so', and you're already shaking," I quip back. "So we're both compromising here." I can't help but laugh a little too. She's made me laugh more times in the short time I've known her than anyone, especially since we've landed. It's a nice feeling.

"Goodnight, Bellamy," she says, nestled against me.

"Goodnight, Evelyn." And we sleep, the best sleep I've had since we came to the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

_Evelyn_

I can't remember a time that I've slept better than I did last night, after waking up from my dream. I blink sleep out of my eyes and stare at the top of the tent. I feel so rested, and so much better this morning. I take a deep breath to appreciate my surroundings, and glance next to me, careful not to wake Bellamy.

He's sleeping on his side facing me, dark hair spilled across the pillow. His face is peaceful; the opposite of the constant worry I've seen since I've met him. His arm is still wrapped around me, which I smile at. I have never felt this way laying with a guy before. My best friend Aaron and I have laid in bed like this during rough times for comfort, but this is different. Bellamy is different. His arm over me gives me a sense of safety and security that I have never felt before, and I never want to move from it.

But alas, my stomach is growling in hunger, and I'm sure Bellamy will be hungry when he wakes up too. I make the decision to go find some food. I carefully, and reluctantly, wiggle out from under Bellamy's arm. He stirs, but doesn't wake. I would feel terrible if I not only intruded on his quarters, but also woke him up. I creep about the tent, pulling on my jacket and shoving on my boots. I wince when I pull on my jacket. In the bliss of waking up with Bellamy, I almost forgot I was hurt. I gently lift my shirt to look at my wound and bite my lip. The wound itself is covered and healing, but the bruising is covering half my stomach. It looks terrible, and explains the pain this morning. I sigh and put my shirt down. It's cold out, and I wish I had brought another jacket. Although, I didn't expect to be here for this long, so that is what it is.

I love early mornings. I'm always up early, and love to walk around our settlement. There is hardly any movement here either, save for the guards. Mornings are how the earth was intended: silent. Before we came with our bombs and then came again with swords and spears and guns. I sigh. The morning is still, and the air is crisp and fresh. The sky people certainly picked a nice place for their ship home to crash.

I set out to walk around in search of food, and to enjoy this quiet and still morning.

* * *

 _Bellamy_

When I wake up, I'm surprised to find that Evelyn is gone.

 _Did I scare her off that fast?_ I think. But her bag is still here, so she's hasn't fled yet. That's good to know. I stretch and yawn, sitting up on the cot. I immediately regret this, as it's freezing outside. I pull the covers up to my chin but force myself to stay sitting up because I might fall back asleep if I lay back down.

I don't think I've ever slept as well as I did last night. I don't ever want to leave this bed, but I also want Evelyn back in it. I laugh at myself, because for the first time probably ever, I don't mean that in a perverted way. I've slept with plenty of girls, woken up with plenty of girls, but nothing compares to this. I want to just hold her, to make her feel safe, not get in her pants.

Not that I would be unhappy if that happened, but definitely not yet. I don't want her to feel like she's just another girl, because, I finally admit it after last night, she's not.

"Oh good you're awake!" Her bright voice floats into the tent and she comes through the flap. She looks so bright and healthy. Color has flooded back into face, and her eyes are sparkling. Before I can say anything, she continues, "I took the liberty of getting breakfast...well let me rephrase that. I was going to take the liberty of getting breakfast, and then I remembered that I actually don't live here and have no liberty to get breakfast, or anything really. So I was heading back here and ran into Kane, and we talked for a while and he discovered my quest for breakfast so he showed me where to get it and get food to pack for lunch and we had a great conversation while doing so. All that to say," she takes her first breath since she started talking. "I have breakfast outside, if you'd like some." She smiles broadly.

I can't help but laugh. "Good morning to you too. I would love breakfast."

"Great! I didn't know what you like best, so I just brought an array."

"That's awesome, thank you." She smiles again and ducks back out of the flap. I quickly jump out of the cot and switch shirts and throw on a jacket as fast as possible. This is going to be a cold walk today. I dunk out of the flap to Evelyn sitting on a makeshift chair. There's another chair near her, with a stump in between. There are a few muffins, oatmeal, and fruit sitting on the stump. She smiles as I sit down.

"It's a beautiful day for our walk," she says looking up. I nod.

"You feel well enough to go? You look better."

"I feel better! The Trikru herbs are superior to anything. We make medicines in Shalom, but not like them. But yes, I'm well enough to go. And you don't look like you got a fever or froze last night so you're in perfectly good shape to carry me," she laughs and I roll my eyes, but also laugh. "Besides, my brother will be worried sick. I've been missing for five days." She has a good point. I'd be beside myself if Octavia was missing for five days.

"Okay, fair enough. We can leave soon as we finish." She nods and starts to pull her hair back into a braid. We sit in silence for a few moments, but it's a comfortable silence. Things have already changed since last night. Such a simple but genuine exchange has changed our dynamic already. I feel like I've known her for years instead of days. I'm comfortable around her, and couldn't be more excited to spend the day with her. "I hope you're prepared to pretty much tell me every detail about your camp, because I hardly know anything." She laughs.

"Well, I guess I haven't had much time to talk while being unconscious. But I'll brag on our settlement any day," she stands up. "Shall we?" She's eager to go, and I don't blame her. All her friends and family probably presume her dead, probably, or taken by the mountain. Which is really one and the same. I internally sigh. I hope our friends are still safe.

I get up and grab our bags from the tent. I hoist both of them on my back. She holds out her arm for hers and I shake my head.

"I can carry my own bag," she says stubbornly.

"I have no doubt that you can, but I'm minimizing the risk of me having to carry you, okay? Trust me, I'm relentless with my 'I told you so's', you want this too," I grin. She maintains her stubborn pose, but she can't stop a smile from creeping across her face.

"Fine."

I duck back into the tent and grab an extra jacket. "Here," I say, handing it to her. "You cannot be warm enough in that jacket." I indicate her dark purple jacket she has on. It's thin, and not warm enough for a long hike in the cold today. She doesn't fight me, but takes it, smiling.

"Thank you," she says gratefully as she puts it on. It's about two sizes too big for her, and swallows her small frame, but she rocks it, and at least she'll be warm. She laughs. "It's just a tad big."

"Yeah sorry I'm not a size two." She laughs.

"I'm rather relieved that you're not. Shall we?"

I zip up the tent and we start across camp. Octavia catches us before we leave through the gates.

"Hey, please be careful," she says, hugging me mid-run. "We have enough people missing."

"I always am," I say back, grinning. She turns to hug Evelyn too.

"Don't let him bully you too much," she says, looking at me.

"Ah, it's him who should be worried about that. I'm brutal," she winks.

"Really, be careful." Evelyn looks at her and smiles.

"I promise, we will be," and they hug again.

I like that Octavia and Evelyn already seem to have such a good relationship. They seem have already hit it off well, and that's a good sign. Octavia has always been a good judge of character, especially when I haven't been.

"We'll be back tomorrow. Hold down the fort?" I ask. She nods, smiling.

"See you tomorrow."

And with that, we head out.

* * *

Evelyn is brilliant. Just about thirty minutes into the walk, and she's already pointed out and explained probably a hundred different types of plants and berries and what medicines or uses they can be used for.

"Ah, these are the best," she says, gingerly squatting down at a plant with bright green berries on it. I recognize these immediately.

"Oh no," I say, "We've tried those, it didn't end well for us."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Sky people stomachs must be weak then! I'm joking, you just didn't know how to eat them right. Here," she picks one off the plant. "You have to pull up on the stem and squeeze...and there we go!" The fruit perfectly pops out of it's shell and she pops it in her mouth. "It's the skin that has those effects. Learned that the hard way. But the fruit is delicious, and packs enough nutritional value that if you only had that to live on for a week, you'd be okay. Here, try." She hands me one, and I take it reluctantly. The last thing I was is to hallucinate with her around. But I trust her, and I take the skin off as she showed me and eat it. It's a hundred times better without the skin anyway, and I already want more.

"Ah, see! You're a natural," I offer her my hand to lean on as she stands up. I brought changes of bandages for her wound, per Abby's orders, but I don't want to have her tearing it before then. "Thanks," she says as she takes my hand with her tattooed one. We keep walking.

"Tell me about your tattoo," I say. "We've seen the grounders have them, but not like that." She laughs.

"No, not like this," she rolls the jacket sleeve up slightly to admire her tattoo. "It's a right of passage in our village. As you know, we're highly trained. You receive your tattoo when you complete your training successfully. It means you have mastered your weapons of choice, have protected those you swore to protect, survived torture, and came through on the final trial. It's a big deal; there's a ceremony and everything."

"Okay, so that was a lot there. Torture? Final trial?" I can't imagine her being tortured. I would kill whoever was doing it.

"Well, it is our thought that in order to be a warrior, you must understand your victims. You must also understand your limits. So we are tortured; to keep us humane when we resort to torturing others, and to push us past what we think we can endure. I know it sounds barbaric," she says, obviously seeing the look of shock on my face. "But I did save your life with a sword in my gut so it's not all for not."

I can't argue with her there. "What if they push too far?"

"We don't." she says shortly. That was a struck nerve if I ever saw one. I want to ask more, but my imagination can assume why she was short about it. I decide to move on.

"And the final trial? What is that?"

"That, is some of the most fun I've ever had," the brightness returns to her voice, and her eyes sparkle. "Dangerous, but fun. I swear we're bred to enjoy danger."

"Yeah I couldn't have guessed that by the way you attacked the grounder," I grin.

"I was saving your life," she declares. "But I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it a little bit...you know, before being stabbed."

"Of course," I can't help but laugh a little. Seriously. my jaw is starting to hurt from all the smiling and laughing. I can't remember if there was ever a time I've been this happy and clearly my jaw muscles aren't used to it. Her joy is contagious.

"So the final trial is essentially after you have mastered your weapons and torture. You are blindfolded and led out into the woods somewhere. You have certain tasks you are assigned, such as hunting or purifying water, finding certain plants, making medicines, things like that, and have to make it back to the village in two days. If you're not back by then, we go get them. Most people come back though, without issue. We are trained well."

"How do you find them?" I ask, confused about how to retrieve someone lost in the woods.

"Trackers, around their ankle. Removed once they finish," she responds simply. I raise an eyebrow.

"Trackers? You have trackers?" I'm surprised by this. She laughs.

"Bellamy we are not Trikru. We do have some technology and knowledge, albeit not as much as your people." Still impressive, I think.

"Huh. We should have a final trial," I say after a moment. "Maybe we would do better around here."

"For landing here the way you did and the hand you've been dealt, I'd say you've done a phenomenal job."

"Well, it's appreciated, but I'm not so sure. There are things that could have been handled better," I say, thinking about torturing Lincoln, Charlotte jumping off the cliff, Finn massacring the village, although I couldn't control that last one. What an idiot. I never thought Finn would be the one to take my place as the monster...although I don't even think I would have done what he did. Not to innocent people. Would I?

"There are always things that can be handled better," Evelyn says wisely. "You just have to stand by what you did. You make choices, and you have reasons for those choices. It's just what being a leader is all about. You should be proud," she looks at me as we walk. "Not many people can handle that responsibility."

"Somedays I wish I couldn't." She laughs.

"Don't we all." Her eyes flash with obvious memories of her own choices. We walk in silence for quite some time.

Where we're walking is beautiful. It's the opposite direction of the grounder village, and is lush and green and the tall trees tower over us. Even bright flowers dot the path we walk along. It's peaceful and fresh. For all the trouble we've been through, I don't stop very often to appreciate how beautiful the ground really is. Because if nothing else, it _is_ beautiful. There was nothing about the Arc that even comes close. Staring at metal walls and outside to black skies has been my entire life. And now I'm walking in green grass under blue skies, and it's just better than anything I could imagine.

I think about what this alliance could mean. If there are hundreds of them trained like Evelyn, plus have a knowledge of the ground, we could really take this mountain.

"This way," she interrupts my thoughts and gestures to a small trail heading down a hill to the right.

"You said this was an easy trek," I say, looking down the winding path. She grins.

"It is, compared to most," she says. "Come on. Step where I step."

The path is windy, and steep. I watching as Evelyn expertly maneuvers the path. I notice another small road down from the path, I assume that's where we're heading. As she jumps off the final roots onto the road, she curses in pain and grabs her side.

"Hey, you alright?" I ask from still far up. I'm not half as fast as her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she says, but her voice reflects pain. I start to hurry for the rest of the way, and miss my footing and end up half-sliding down into the next road.

"Are _you_ alright?" She says laughing.

"I appreciate the concern," I say, grinning. She offers me her hand but I don't take it to keep her from straining herself. "You sure you're okay? Let me take a look." She sighs and lifts her shirt. The bandages have gotten smaller, but still wrap around her side. The bandage is clear; no blood, which is a good sign, but half her torso is shades of blacks, purples, blues, and yellows. The bruising has grown since yesterday.

"No wonder this hurts," I say quietly. She looks down.

"It's fine, it's not bleeding."

"But the bruising is growing," I stand up and she pulls her shirt back down. "I don't think that's good."

"It's healing," she insists. "It's fine. Shall we keep on?"

I give her a long look before nodding. I don't know a whole lot about medical things, but I do know that bruising could be a sign of internal bleeding, so I make a note to myself to look at it later to make sure it doesn't get worse.

"So who can I look forward to meeting today?" I ask after a few minutes.

"My brother is the main person you have to impress. He's tough, so you better turn that charm up to 10," she grins. "He's a good person, but also a good leader, so he's looking out for our people first, as I'm sure you understand. He will be open to the alliance, but he will be reluctant. The last one we had...well it didn't turn out so well."

"What do you mean?" My voice is more skeptical than I intend.

She sighs. "When my parents were leaders, they made an alliance with Trikru. To get our people out of Mount Weather. A group of them left to get in...and they were hit with everything the mountain had. I don't know what happened. Trikru claims they were separated; that it was the acid fog. But somehow they all survived, and none of our people did," she spat the last bit. "When we found them, they were all so badly bloodied that there was no way to know if it was the fog or not. But, our people aren't dumb. They knew what the fog did and how to protect themselves, so I have a hard time believing that was what happened."

"I'm sorry," I say. "That's terrible." I can't imagine that. More reasons not to trust Lexa and her people.

"Thanks," she says shortly, not looking at me. I understand the reaction; it's keeping her emotions at bay. I don't push that either. "Since then, we've stopped attempts to get into the mountain. We can't lose anymore lives that way."

"But you think your brother will be willing to form an alliance with us after that?"

"I don't know," she says honestly. "I hope so. That's why you're here. We have to convince him that your people can be trusted. Besides, while it's been quiet for a long time, right before I left, there was another group taken. It appears they've ramped up their efforts."

"We'll get them out. We'll get them out together," I say genuinely, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so, Bellamy." She reaches back and puts her hand on top of mine briefly, squeezing it. Even the small gesture quickens my heart rate.

We walk in silence again for a long time. When she talks again, we talk about the earth and it's history, stories of our lives, and she points out more plants. We eat lunch, we laugh, and we talk about everything. It feels good to be able to open up to someone about the things I'm expected to keep inside to be strong for everyone else. Always strong for my mom, for Octavia, for Clarke, for everyone in camp. It's nice to feel like I can be human with Evelyn.

Eventually, after about four hours of walking, we come over a hill, and I'm suddenly looking down at a massive village. I gape. This was not at all what I was expecting their village to be.

"Welcome to Shalom," she says, smiling widely. Shalom means peace in Hebrew, and it's fitting. "Not what you were expecting?" But she already knows the answer to that.

"Not at all," I say slowly. All of the main structures are made of wood and stone; shaped as huts and cabins, much like what I've only seen in books and movies. They're connected by stone pathways, and tall towers with wires string overtop the village. It's amazing. We descend down the hill, and it becomes clearer. The people mulling around the village are in clothes like Evelyn's which aren't so different from ours. Smoke rises from fires set between buildings, and the smell of food wafts our way. I hear people laughing, and music playing. There are lights and sounds that mimic everything I expected the ground to be. I smile.

"Evelyn has returned!" I hear a voice yell. There's a fence around the settlement; it looks electric, much like ours, and a tall tower stands to the side of the gate, which is where the voice came from. A sign over the gate reads 'Shalom'. "Open the gate!"

The large gate opens, and a guy with long blonde hair is running at us. He is dressed in all black and has a similar tattoo as Evelyn down his left arm. He has a knife belt, and an automatic rifle strapped around him. Probably a guard, from the looks of it. He runs to Evelyn and embraces her. She laughs and simultaneously grunts in pain.

"Easy," she says. He looks at her as he gently releases her.

"You're hurt?"

"It's fine, it's just sore."

"Good lord, Ev, we all thought you were dead. Or taken by the mountain." I look at the way he looks at her. I never even thought to ask Evelyn if she had a husband, or boyfriend, or anything. A lump forms in my throat. Surely not, I tell myself. No way. She wouldn't have laid in bed with me the way we did if she had a significant other. Right?

"I'm not, obviously. All thanks to him," she motions to me. "Aaron, this is Bellamy, of the sky people. Bellamy, this is Aaron, my best friend since we were like five. He's Ty's right hand man."

"Nice to meet you," he holds out his hand, and I take it, relieved to hear that he's only Evelyn's friend.

"You too," I say.

"A sky person, huh? We've heard a lot about you." He looks at me with an expression I can't quite place. Skepticism?

"You haven't heard the half of it," I grin at him. He studies me for another moment and returns the grin.

"Ev, Ty is worried sick. Come on," he says, attention snapping back to her. He leads the way back through the gates. Evelyn is greeted by every person she walks by. People are grateful to have their queen back, it seems. She's picks up a little girl that comes running to her.

"Well hello Carol!" she says to the redhead. I notice that they all speak in the same slightly different accent than us. I can't place where it's from though. I make a note to ask Evelyn later.

"Mommy said you were dead," she says, pulling at Evelyn's hair. "We were scared."

"Well, your mommy was wrong. I'm strong, remember? Just like I've taught you to be." Little Carol nods, her curls bouncing around her head.

"I want to be just as strong as you someday."

"You already are! Now I have to go see my brother, but I'll come play with you all later, okay? Think of some fun games." Carol's face lights up and she runs off after Evelyn's puts her down. She looks at me, and I must have a stupid grin on my face because she laughs.

"I like kids," she offers as an explanation. We head down a stone path to a large building in what seems to be the center of the village. It's built of stacked wood and stone, and it several stories high. There's a porch on the front with chairs, and it feels all very homey. Something I've never known before. We walk up to the porch to see another guy running to hug Evelyn. This one has dark hair to his shoulders, and has similar build to Aaron; both tall, both strong. His tattoo is almost fully visible, since his shirt is short-sleeved. I see the differences in the people now; most of the older members have similar tattoos down their left arm, and the kids don't. All the tattoos are slightly different designs and colors, but they all have a similar look to them. I snap my attention back to Ty and Evelyn.

"Oh my god, little sister, I was so worried," he hugs her tightly, and she hugs him back.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she repeats over and over again. "But easy, please." He pulls apart from her and looks at her.

"Are you hurt?"

"I was, it's healing, but it's still sore," she says. He nods.

"I thought you were taken…" he doesn't finish, he doesn't have to. She puts her hands on his shoulders. I know the look. It's the 'what could have happened to you is too painful to even finish saying' look. I have given it to Octavia more than once since we've been on the ground.

"I wasn't. I'm okay. I'm here." They hug again, and then break apart and Ty looks to me.

"Ty, this is Bellamy, of the sky people. Without him, I would be dead," she beams at me. "Bellamy, this is Ty, my brother."

"A sky person?" he says as he shakes my hand and we mutter 'nice to meet yous'. "It seems thanks are in order. You saved Evelyn, and I'm most intrigued to hear the story. Please, let's go inside." He led the way into the building. It's built high with open windows and simple furniture. Colorful rugs scatter the floor. The open windows supply the light, but I see lanterns and lamps all over the place. I just stand and look in awe for a moment.

"A little different than space, hm?" Aaron says, appearing next to me. I nod.

"Just a little." I look back to them, heading towards a ladder. Ty stops before started to climb it and looks at Evelyn.

"Can you climb right now?"

She bites her lip. I know she wants to, but she really can't. I hope she doesn't push herself. "I can, but I probably shouldn't," she says reluctantly. He nods and leads us to a small side room. It has multiple chairs and a couch surrounding a wooden coffee table with glasses on it.

"Please, have a seat," he says, mostly to me. Evelyn plops down on the couch and pats the spot next to her. I drop our bags and sit next to her. Aaron and Ty sit in the chairs across from us.

"What happened? It's been five days…" Ty says. I can see the worry and relief written all over his face. I put myself in his shoes, had it been Octavia. I don't know what I would have done.

Evelyn recounts the story. Ty and Aaron sit and listen calmly, but their faces change as she talks about her wounds and subsequent illness. They both look at me.

"I'm not sure there are enough words in any language to express my gratitude," Ty says to me. "You risked everything to save her, and for that, we owe you everything."

"I was doing what was right," I say. "No thanks needed. I wasn't about to let her die in the woods."

"Yes, but these days bringing outsiders into villages is risky. Hence our new and improved fence," Aaron responds with a grin. "It's electric. Any unwanted visitor and ZAP! It's shocking, really," he laughs at his own pun. Evelyn is laughing and shaking her head.

"If you don't scare him off with your terrible puns, I brought him here for more than just thanks," Evelyn says. "As it turns out, we have something in common with them." She looks at me to finish.

"We are obviously immune to the radiation, too. Something with being raised in space. It seems that Mount Weather has figured that out. They have 47 of our people trapped inside. We intend to get them out by any means possible. And I think...we think...that it would be the most beneficial for our people to work together for that goal." Ty and Aaron study me for a moment, and Ty leans forward. I can't read his expression. He's much more stoic than Evelyn.

"Mount Weather has taken more from our people than I can count anymore," he starts slowly. "There is nothing more that I want than to get our people out of there. But we have tried this before, and ended up losing even more people. How can we trust you?"

"We aren't the grounders...er, tree people. We don't go back on alliances, or promises," I say firmly. "If this is a common goal, between our technology and your knowledge and skills, we _can_ take the mountain. All we want is our people out, and to live in peace."

Ty looks at Evelyn. "What is your take?" And I think he means it genuinely. He respects his sister's opinion. That's a difficult skill I've had to force myself to learn since landing. Octavia was always my responsibility, not my equal. I was always ready to protect her, but never ready to let her protect herself. I'm glad that's been changing, although I'll still always be ready to protect her.

"I agree with Bellamy. I met with their leaders yesterday. That _is_ all they want. They took me in and saved my life, took care of me while I recovered. I trust them. And I think this is the best move for our people, the strongest move."

Ty chews on this for a minute. "We would have to meet with your leaders," he says to me. I nod.

"That's why we're here...or I'm here, anyway. We would like you go come back to Arkadia with us, to meet with our leaders, should you want to discuss an alliance."

"And your leaders have agreed to this?"

"Yes."

Ty nods. "Very well. Aaron? What say you?"

Aaron looks to all of us. He holds eyes with me. "I say we hold a vote," he looks back to Ty. "Tonight. Should our people agree, we travel to Arkadia tomorrow." Ty nods.

"Alright then. It is decided. Aaron, have Sal make the announcement for a village meeting tonight at 1700 hours. Bellamy, please make yourself at home in our village. You are welcome here. We will find a place for you to bunk tonight."

"He can bunk with me," Evelyn says. Ty gives her a look and she rolls her eyes. "I have more than enough room."

"Fine," Ty says after studying her for a moment. As an older brother, I do understand his uneasiness with that suggestion. But it seems that Evelyn and Octavia share some similar traits, and she probably would have been just as stubborn if Ty had protested too much. I smirk to myself, careful not to show it for fear of Ty punching my face in for getting the wrong idea. "Aaron, would you mind showing Bellamy to Evelyn's quarters? I would like a few minutes with my sister."

Aaron nods, and stands up. I stand up with him and grab our bags.

"Thank you," I say. Ty nods, shaking my hand. Evelyn smiles at me as I follow Aaron out the door.

"We're gonna take one quick detour to Sal before going to Ev's place. She's on duty just in the command room, so it'll be quick," he says lightly as we walk outside. I nod.

"Your village is incredible," I say, still admiring it. "It's so modern, it's exactly what I pictured the ground being like."

"Yeah, I've heard the sky people have had some bad encounters with Trikru. I'm sorry about that. We're not all that primitive," he turns to a small building made of metal on the outside of the village. It has all sorts of antennae and satellites on top of it.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," I say, staring at the building. Aaron grins.

"We've done okay for ourselves."

"But, how? There wasn't anything left after the bombs." Or so we had been taught.

"There was a world before us, right? They built something from nothing, so we just did the same."

"Why haven't the tree people picked up on that?"

Aaron shrugged. "We're more intelligent, clearly," he laughs. "Hey Sal!" He calls as we walk into the command room. It's filled with screens and keyboards, very similar to what we have on the Ark. Different camera angles are on the screens, as well as radars. A tall girl with red hair braided down to her waist turns around in a large green chair. She too has a tattoo down her left arm.

"What's up?" She's asking Aaron but looking at me questioningly. Her eyes are alarmingly green, and I feel uncomfortable with her stare.

"We're having a village meeting at 1700 hours. Can you put the word out?"

"Consider it done." She still stares at me.

"Sweet. This is Bellamy, of the sky people," he says, answering her unspoken question.

"Hey," I greet her.

"Sky people, hm? How intriguing." She doesn't return the greeting.

"Yeah, yeah, you can question him all you want later, get back to work," he says jokingly.

"You get back to work," she rolls her eyes and spins back around in her chair. "Nice to meet you, sky person." I'm relieved to have her stare broken.

"And you," I say. Aaron leads me back out. "Evelyn's place is this way. Ty means it when he says to make yourself at home."

"Thanks," I say, still admiring their village. It's just mind-blowing, after seeing the grounders camps, that this can exist. It's modern and functioning, but it's also homey. I love everything about it. It's going to be difficult to go back to Arkadia, I think.

Aaron leads me to a small wooden and stone building shaped like a large hut. "This is Evelyn's. Wreak havoc, she could use it," he laughs as he opens the door. It's incredibly roomy inside, filled with more simple furniture and rugs. There's a small kitchen on one end, and a bathroom on the other, next to the bedroom. Everything is simple and neat, and homey.

"I've gotta get back to work, but we'll see you later," Aaron says. "And thanks again, for everything."

"Thank you," I say back. And he walks out of the door. I put our bags down and sit on the wooden porch, admiring the smell and sounds of this peaceful place.

* * *

 _Evelyn_

"I'm just so glad you're safe," Ty says again, looking at me. "I was so worried."

"I know, I wanted to come back earlier, but I couldn't…" I try to pacify my brother. The worry and relief on his face is more evident than most expressions I've seen from him, or lack thereof. Ty wasn't a very 'wear your emotions on your sleeve' kind of guy. That was probably better, given his leadership role.

"I know, it's okay. You're here now," he says smiling. "Let me see your wound."

I reluctantly lift up my shirt. His eyes widen. "Ev…"

"It looks worse than it is. It's healing," I reassure him. "It's sore, but it's fine." He nods, although unconvinced. I quickly pull my shirt back down over the bruise. I admit that it's more painful today, but it's a sore-pain instead of the searing stabbing pain it was before. "Thank you for considering this alliance." He looks at me.

"I am wary of it," he says sighing. "We can't go through what we went through the last time we did this…"

"I know," I say quickly. I have been through all these emotions already. "But I have no other ideas. And I fear the longer we continue to wait, the more danger we're in, as well as our people in the mountain."

"I would agree. The recent attack has shaken all of us. I admit that it gives me hope to have people sharing a cause who are not Trikru. I hope our people vote in favor. I would like the chance to talk with the sky people." He says, and he means it. His eyes are distant, already thinking of what he's going to say to convince them.

"I will make them, I'm much more charming than you," I wink. He laughs.

"I trust your judgment, Ev."

"Well it only took you 24 years," I help myself to a glass of water. He laughs a little.

"I'm serious, I do. And if you trust them, then I do too," he looks at me carefully. "You _do_ actually trust them, right?" I laugh.

"Yes. They didn't have to save my life. Bellamy risked everything by bringing me into their camp. They spent their time and resources to save the life of an outsider. And every person I've talked to, including leaders and non-leaders, all want the same thing. They all want their people out of the mountain. They all want peace." Ty nods.

"Then we want the same things. And, not many peoples around here would have risked bringing an outsider back to their camp. Most would have let you die out there."

"Yes, they're different, brother. They're humane. They want to live on this earth as it was meant to be lived on." He nods again, digesting all this information. I really hope he means that he trusts me, and hopes to speak with them. I know we all feel hopeless right now; stuck between being worried about our people in the mountain, our people here being taken by the mountain, and worried about losing more people trying to get to the mountain, while also battling the scars and worries of the memories of the last time we made an alliance. He's right, we can't go through what we went through when our parents went out with Trikru and never returned. I hope Bellamy understands this, as well as their leaders. But I trust my gut on this too. I have no reason to distrust these people, and I hope Ty will learn that as well. He has always been more reserved than I with trust, and that's a good thing. I'm very much a "gut feeling" type of person, although I have learned to integrate my logic well with that. He has always been a logic first person, and in the end, we balance each other out well.

"You trust him," he says after some time.

"What?" Although I already know what he means.

"Bellamy. You trust him," even his name sends butterflies to my stomach.

"Well, yeah, he did save my life. But this alliance isn't about him, it's about all of our people, and all of theirs." I try to steer the conversation away from Bellamy. I'm not ready to talk about this yet. Not ready to admit anything.

"I know that. And I agree. But that wasn't why I was saying that," he looks at me. "I've just never seen you look at a guy that way before."

I'm taken aback for a moment, and I can feel my cheeks flush. "I don't look at him like anything." Ty laughs.

"Yeah, okay," he stops laughing when he sees my face. He sighs and sits down next to me. "Ev, you have this amazing quality about you that you put everybody else's needs and happiness before your own. And it's part of what makes you such a great leader. But believe it or not, I'm not heartless, and I _do_ want you to be happy, to put yourself first in one thing in your life. I'm happy you've found someone to make you look that way at them."

"I don't...I mean, he saved my life, and he watched over me and took care of me while I recovered. That's all it is; momentary infatuation," but even as I say those words, I don't believe myself. From the moment I met Bellamy, things were different. And after our short exchange last night after I woke from my bad dream, there is no denying it. It's not infatuation at all, and I know it.

Ty scoffs. He knows it too. "Yeah, okay, you don't look at someone like that when it's momentary infatuation. And besides, he looks at you the same way." I blush at this. He laughs. "I'm just saying, you're all about those gut feelings, and they're usually right. Don't fight being happy so hard, for once." He looks at his watch. "Crap, I gotta go. I'm so glad you're back and safe," he says, hugging me gently as we stand up. "I'll see you in a bit."

As if to remind us all, Sal's voice comes over the intercom that is spread over the village. "Helloooo Shalom! This is a friendly announcement to request your presence at a village meeting in the amphitheater today at 1700 hours. Sorry for the short notice, but you're not gonna wanna miss this! Over and out." I laugh. Sal was one of the funniest people I have ever met; she just loved life and her goal was to make everyone laugh and keep things light. She was also brilliant with our technology. We wouldn't have made it far without her nowadays.

Ty gives me one last grin as we walk out of the village hall and go our separate ways. I'm pleased to find Bellamy sitting on my porch when I get back.

"Hey," he says warmly.

"Hey," I sit in the chair next to him.

"I love this place," he declares. I laugh.

"Dearest Bellamy, you haven't even seen the half of it yet."


	7. Chapter 7

**Keep the reviews coming! Disclaimer: Any lyrics belong to respective artists!**

 _Bellamy_

I don't know why, but I'm nervous about this meeting. Their vote decides if we have a chance at an alliance or not. After what I've seen, I don't want us to not have an alliance.

I also don't want to lose Evelyn.

She's changed, and is wearing a simple blue shirt and black pants, and much to my appreciation, my jacket. She claimed it was warmer than anything she had when I made fun of her for it, but in truth, I think she looks so cute in it. I hope I don't get it back from her.

We're sitting in a theater-like setting, open under the sky. There are rows of wooden benches that slant up a slight hill and all face a wooden stage in a half-circle manner. We are sitting on the edge of the stage casually, waiting for Ty to call the meeting to order.

The people in Shalom are unlike anything we've seen on the ground yet. It's refreshing. They are courteous, they laugh, they play music and games, and they welcomed me like a friend. They're like the people we read about in our books; like the people before the bombs went off. They're a little more ritualistic on some levels, and have adopted parts of the ground into their daily lives. But they thrive with their technology, their order, and their jobs. If Arkadia ever hopes to make it long-term on the ground, we will have to do the same. Right now, we all kind of muddle around for food and drink and other jobs until things get done. There isn't much order outside of people like Abby and Kane. The night people have teachers, scientists, trainers...everybody has a job. I hope once the madness is over, we too can settle into that sort of routine.

Ty and Aaron are off to the side with a couple other people in all black...guards I assume...casually talking while everyone takes their seats. Ty looks like he's trying to convince them of something, but I can't hear of what. After a few moments, when most people seem to have found their seats, the other guys nod and Ty jumps up on stage, smiling. The people get quiet.

"Hello everyone!" Ty's voice booms across the amphitheater. "Thank you all for coming out on short notice, I assure you I won't be taking up too much of your time. Before I get started, I would like to point out our guest tonight; some of you may have already seen him mulling around earlier. This is Bellamy of the sky people, and I trust you will make him feel welcome while he is here." There are some murmurs and some applause in the crowd as he motions to me. I just smile and give a small nod. "Now, onto the reason that this meeting was called. As you may have also noticed from the shouting earlier, Evelyn has returned," more applause and cheering interrupts him. He laughs. "Yes, I'm just as happy about it as you are. Evelyn comes to you tonight with a proposition. Something for our people to take action against those who have lit fear in us for years. As you well know, we don't take major actions without our people in agreement, and we will hold a vote after she speaks. So, without further ado…" With that, Evelyn carefully stands up and nods to me to stand as well.

"Hello! It's good to be back," the crowd cheers. The people look at her and Ty like they are the godsends to their world. And maybe they are. There has to be a reason they are so respected and so well-liked. I could probably take a few notes from them. I led the original hundred as well as I could, with Clarke's help, of course, but I made some major mistakes. Clarke was always there to correct them. Thank goodness for that. "The details of my absence are in part, gruesome, but you need to know what happened," Evelyn's voice carries over the amphitheater without any need for amplification. She is strong and confident in her speech. I admire that. She continues: "I saw Bellamy in the woods while scouting, he was attacked by a member of Trikru. I intervened in hopes of saving him, and then was attacked myself by Trikru," boos in the crowd. She holds up a hand. "This is not a speech to promote the dislike of Trikru, but rather how this event brought a new hope. After I was injured, Bellamy and his people took me in and saved my life, more than once. They took care of me while I recovered, and without him and his people, I wouldn't be standing here right now," it's funny to me how something so automatic to one person can make such a difference to someone else. I wouldn't have let anyone die in the woods like that; it was an automatic reaction to bring her back to Abby. Yet if I didn't, she would be dead, and I probably wouldn't have cared. I shudder at that thought and turn my attention back to her. "During my days in their camp, I learned that their people are kind, and helpful. We've heard stories of their bravery, but none of their kindness. I assure you, it matters more than their anything else. As it turns out, we have something in common with them. Obviously, Bellamy doesn't need a hazmat suit to be out here," she points over at me. "Mount Weather has also figured this out, and has taken some of their people captive. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm just about over living in fear of them, I'm over losing people to them, and I'm over them thinking they own this ground! We're the ones that can live out here, _we_ own the ground!" Cheers, so many cheers. Even I'm clapping. "And we have tried, time and time again to get our people out, and we have failed. We put it on the backburner out of fear of losing more people. But the people of the mountain have not forgotten about us, and they're taking our people, and others around us. And well, I say it's about time to change that, for good." She looks at me to speak.

"We came to the ground for a second chance at life," I say without missing a beat. I don't know where the words come from, but they keep flowing. I pace across the stage slowly. "We came with fear of what was waiting here, but we also came with hope. Hope of a new life, one where we could live in peace. And so far, all we have had is war and fear. Until we met your people. For the first time since we've landed, hope has surfaced. Your village has shown me everything that me and my people have hoped the ground would be like. And it seems that we both have skills to benefit each other. It's time we harness that for the greater good," Hey, even I'm getting some cheers. "Our people want nothing more than to get our people out of the mountain, and to live at peace on the ground. We can't do that alone. Together, we are stronger than we are alone." Evelyn smiles as more cheer and agreement rises from the audience.

"The sky people have technology beyond ours. They have skilled people as well. With their technology, medicines, and skills combined with ours, we can take this mountain down. Our proposition tonight is for a discussion of an alliance between our people and theirs," Evelyn says, people start to murmur. "If you vote yes, Ty and myself along with a few others will travel to the camp of the sky people tomorrow and negotiate a truce, an alliance to work together. Should you vote no, we will remain on our own. The choice is yours."

"Any questions before the vote?" Ty asks, standing back up with Evelyn.

"Is it not true that you have an alliance with Trikru as well?" a man in the front directs his question at me. I nod.

"More or less, it's in progress."

"The last time we joined forces with Trikru, we lost fifty people." He isn't rude, but stating a fact. I know this is a difficult ground for them to stand on.

"It's a risk we would have to take," Evelyn says before I can answer, not that I knew what to say. "Every alliance has it's risks. We are already in alliance with Trikru. And I trust the sky people. We will not let our people be lost when we all work together." The man seems satisfied with this, because he nods.

"Is it true you burned 300 Trikru members in a battle?" A younger girl asks. I turn to look at her. She's probably only 15 or 16, and has bright green eyes that shine in the dim light of the sunset. I nod slowly.

"It was the only way to save our people." I stand by that decision until the end of time.

"Do you intend to do that in the mountain?" She asks innocently. I pause.

"I...I have no intention of killing anyone more than necessary to save our people. No innocent lives need to be lost." But the question catches me off guard. What happens if that's the only way to get our people out? Can we do what it takes? Can we live with that much blood on our hands?

"But are any of them innocent? Really?" Another woman asks, this time an older lady.

"We have reason to believe that not everyone in the mountain knows what's really going on," Ty says carefully. "We have no intention of harming innocent people if we don't have to."

"But if it comes down to it? Will you?" She asks, her eyes begging. I have to assume based on her desperate tone that she's lost someone to the mountain.

Ty and Evelyn exchange a quick glance. "We will do what we have to to get all of our people out," Ty says.

"Do our people come above theirs?" She points at me. I look between her and Evelyn.

"When we form an alliance, our people _are_ their people, Felicity," Evelyn says coldly. Her tone is intimidating, and enough to shut anyone down. Her eyes have gone dark and she stares down the woman. She nods, and says nothing else.

After an awkward silence for a few seconds, Ty nods. "Alright, time to cast your votes. All in favor of negotiating an alliance with the sky people to save our people from Mount Weather, raise your hands."

It's nearly unanimous. I hardly see anyone keeping their hands down, although, I notice Felicity didn't raise hers. I ignore it. You can't always please everyone. I look at Evelyn, who's grinning widely. Ty smiles too.

"Well, I don't think we've had that unanimous of a vote since we voted on the chocolate cake at village dinners," he laughs. "Okay. Tomorrow morning we leave for their camp. Tonight, we feast! Meeting adjourned!" And with that, people get up to start shuffling out.

"Come on," Evelyn says, taking my hand as we make our way off the stage and into the crowd. "The best part is going to start."

"What's going on?" I ask as I see everyone congregating in the center square. There's a large bonfire in the middle and the smell of food filling my senses. I'm starving. Evelyn leads me towards it.

"Well, the village kind of typically eats together...every night. It didn't start out as intentional, but so many of us shared food as it was, that it just kinda turned into a thing. At any rate, it's really fun." Her eyes sparkle even more in the firelight.

"Alright I can get on board with that," I say. Their community reminds me of the days on the dropship. Even though so many bad things happened there, it was also where we all became such good friends. Without that time, we wouldn't be where we are now. Sometimes I actually miss those days.

"Evelyn and honored guest, here you go," Aaron appears out of nowhere with a few metal mugs in his hand. "To new friends!"

"New friends!" We both respond and clink the mugs together. I take a swig of the liquid. Holy crap, it's beer. I've had beer exactly one time. I loved it. But on the Ark, we didn't really have the ability to make it.

"No beer in space?" Aaron asks, noticing my reaction. I laugh.

"No, not really. I've had it once."

Aaron puts a hand on my shoulder and looks at me seriously. "From the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry for your loss." And he laughs. And I laugh, And Evelyn laughs. And it doesn't stop for hours.

* * *

Later, we are lounging around on the ground in the square against some trees. The square is more of just a clearing in the village surrounded by trees. It looks manmade to me, and has benches and a large fire pit in the middle where the remnants of the large boar we just ate remain. I'm stuffed to the brim; I haven't eaten that well...ever. I'm also swimming in the beer. Okay, that's a lie, but I've had my fill. There's music playing from a few people with instruments...real instruments...in the square, and everyone is just relaxing. Evelyn is sitting next to me, and Aaron and Sal and a couple other people who's names escape me are sitting around us. It's so casual, so _normal_. I didn't think this was possible on the ground. I never want to leave from here.

"Is this normal?" I ask Evelyn. She looks at me and nods.

"More or less, yeah. Again, it wasn't intended, it just sort of happens. Some nights it's much shorter, but it's a weekend for the kids, so they can enjoy it too. That usually makes it last longer."

"I just can't remember the last time I had this kind of fun. The Ark was so strict all the time, so suffocating. And here we've been constantly worrying, even on the days we did have fun," I stare thoughtfully into my beer.

"We adopted a mindset a long time ago about that," she says, eyes shining in the dim light. "You can't live in the grief of what you've lost or the fear of what you might lose. All you can do is celebrate what you have. You have to take advantage of the moment you're in, because you might not get to live the next one."

"Nice attitude," and I mean it. I could use more of that in my life. I'm always worried, always afraid. One day, it could destroy me. What is living if it's always worrying about the next bad thing to happen? These people live with what they have to the fullest, and they still manage to be badasses.

"Evelyn!" The guy playing the old-looking piano stands up. "One song, NightQueen?" He asks hopefully. Others join in, asking for one song. I raise an eyebrow at her. She's a musician too? I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

"Oh, come on Ev. They've been worried sick about you. Give them this one," Ty says grinning. She smiles.

"Alright, alright!" She puts her hand up in surrender and hands me her drink to hold. "Be right back."

I've listened to music before. Quite often on the Ark. But nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what Evelyn played and sang. Her voice is flawless, and her playing is even better. She was born to play and sing music; there's no doubt in my mind about that. It's too bad we live in a world now where that isn't appreciated as it used to be before the bombs.

But maybe we can change that. Maybe together we can make this world at least a glimmer of the glory it used to be. I sit back and listen to her; it's a song that sounds familiar to me but I can't quite place it. It's definitely one that everyone seems to know well, as they have their mugs in the air and arms around each other, singing along:

 _And love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Halleluuujjjahhh_

I don't know the lyrics, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I didn't think it was possible for this girl to be any more perfect, and here it is.

When she finishes, there is a long round of applause.

"You're incredible," I say as soon as sits back down and someone else takes the piano to start playing a much more upbeat and jazzy tune. Even in the dim light, I can see her blush.

"Well thank you," she looks to Ty. "I think it's time for me to turn in. Early day tomorrow." I notice that others have started dispersing as well. He glances at his watch.

"Yes, yes, we leave at first light," he says, standing up. She nods, and looks to me.

"Are you ready? I don't want to rush you."

I drain the rest of my beer in one long swig and nod. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Seriously, you were born to play music," I say. We're back in her little cabin getting ready for bed. The bed she has is a little bigger than my cot, so that's nice at least. It looks comfy, and I'm so ready to sleep. I'm exhausted from our day.

"Well, thank you," she smiles as she pulls her hair out of the braid it's in. It's beautiful; dark brown and falling below her shoulders in waves formed by the braids. "My father could play well. I got it from him."

"It was breathtakingly beautiful, I mean it. That kind of stuff...it's rare in my world," She smiles at me again.

"Well I really hope it becomes less rare to you, and your people, Bellamy." I smile as I rustle through my bag for a shirt and see the bandages Abby had given me. I had almost forgotten.

"Here, let me take a look at your wound before we go to bed. I was given strict instructions to change the bandages. Not that I know anything about that," I grin as I hold up the wad of white. She rolls her eyes and smiles.

"Yes, Mr. Nurse, have at it." She sits on the edge of the bed and pulls her shirt up. I try not to stare too much at her perfectly shaped stomach and abs, but it's difficult not to. I gently pull the bandage away and she gasps a little in pain.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, cursing myself. "I'm being as gentle as I can."

"I know, it's okay," she puts a hand on my arm while I work, and my stomach flutters. Thankfully, as I pull off the bandage, while the bruising is still bad, the wound itself is healing.

"Well NightQueen, it seems your stubbornness to push yourself didn't affect your healing too much. It looks good, aside from the bruising."

"Good analysis, nurse," she smiles. "That would be last thing I would need."

"Well," I say as I gently put the new bandage on. "Next time, don't get stabbed and we can avoid this whole thing."

"Don't get yourself attacked by Trikru first, and I won't get stabbed. Problem solved," she gives a little laugh as I finish up. I look up at her.

"Not that I'd want you to be hurt and sick again, but I wouldn't want to have avoided all of this," I say. I get up to throw the old bandage out in her little metal can in the corner and sit next to her on the bed. She takes my hand and softly traces over my palm.

"I'd take getting stabbed and sick again if it meant that otherwise we would have avoided all this."

I look at her and tuck her hair behind her ear. My heart is practically in my throat. No girl has ever made me feel this way.

"I would have died in the woods that day for you too, you know," I say softly. Her eyes sparkle.

"I know."

I pull her gently towards me, and our lips touch, and it's suddenly as if the whole world has disappeared and we are the only ones here. Electricity and passion shoot through me as we kiss deeper, and everything else has melted away. Within just a moment or two, we are kissing fiercely; all the feelings we've both been pushing away the past few days come rushing in a flood of passion. I want everything about her; physically, mentally, spiritually. But I know I have to be careful. I pull away reluctantly and look at her. Both of us are breathless.

"Evelyn, you should know something," I take her hands. Her eyes sparkle as she gives me her attention. "When we landed on the ground, I was a different man. I was a jerk, and I slept with girls for fun. I was empty inside, and for some reason I thought that would help. But it didn't, it never did, and I knew it wouldn't. And Evelyn, you've been in my life for less than a week and have made a bigger impact on me than anybody has. I just...I don't want this to happen this quickly unless you know that you are different to me. And if that means that this doesn't happen for a long time, then so be it, because I'm not going anywhere. I just can't lose you, or lose this, and I don't want this happening so fast to ruin it. I just...I need you to believe how important you are to me first."

She smiles at me, so genuinely and places her hand on my cheek. "I already do, Bellamy. Because I feel the same way." And she pulls me towards her and kisses me. And I kiss her. And we melt away into passion and electricity that overtakes us.

It isn't sex, but rather it's intimate, genuine, and true adoration and care for one another. It's unlike anything I have ever experienced. It's absurd, because every other time this has happened, every other girl, it was nothing. It was empty physical fulfillment that left you lonelier than you were before it happened.

But this...this is how it was meant to happen; not as an excuse to fill a void and take your mind off of the rest of life, but rather as an addition to life, to be in such unison with someone that you feel able to do anything if they're next to you.

This was fulfillment in every sense of the word.

* * *

Everything had been perfect. I lay awake staring at the ceiling as Evelyn is fast asleep, laying across my chest. I listen to her rhythmic breathing and watch her back rise and fall as I gently run my hand up and down it. It's early morning; I can see the sun creeping through the window in the bedroom. I've barely slept, but I don't think I could possibly care any less.

I think this is what euphoria feels like. I'm not really sure if there is possibly a better feeling than what last night was. Yes, we were intimate, but more than just physically. We talked, we laughed, we shared things that few people know about. I've never been so open with anyone, or felt so...so good about it.

And it's euphoric. And terrifying. So terrifying.

I've known her for a week. _A week_.

It seems ridiculous. Is it normal to feel this way this fast about someone? Because I'm not so sure it is. You shouldn't be this terrified to lose someone after just a week of knowing them.

But I think I'm starting to understand now, the risk of feeling this way. It's worth it. Of course, I say that because she's currently as close to me as possible. I'm not sure what would happen if she got up and walked away now.

We are both guarded people. She puts up more of a front than I do, but deep down, she's just as fenced-in as I am. We both put our people first, put our survival first, before any of our own feelings about anything.

"Fear has to come after action," she had said last night. "Leaders cannot falter under chaos and fear. They have to rise to the occasion and take action...then they can freak out later."

I laughed at this, because I know it all too well. Whenever our people were in danger at the dropship, I snapped into action mode. I took action to protect them and later I worried about what happened. Although usually it was such a turnaround to the next crisis that I never did freak out.

I opened up to her about my fear about our people. It's not like everyone isn't worried about our people, but I feel responsible. They were my responsibility at the dropship. And I let them be captured while I got away, more or less. I know that's irrational; it was an unavoidable consequence, but I still feel guilty. When I saw Clarke the other day when we she returned...I couldn't explain my happiness. It had been grueling to wonder what happened to them. But when she said she was the only one who made it back, my stomach dropped again. Never a break. Never a rest. And now my friends are going through more than I can imagine, and it's my fault. Even though I'm thrilled Clarke made it out, and it's a miracle that she did, I can't help but be a little irked that she didn't try to get anyone else out. It probably would have been impossible, but the irrational and guilty side of me still holds a little bitterness.

Evelyn understands that. She's responsible for her people too. She opened up about her parents, admitting that she feels guilty for their death. She feels that she should have at least been with them. And now she will never know what truly happened to them. She's torn at a crossroad now; to risk more people to try to get to the mountain, or leave those stuck in the mountain to their fate, if there's even any left. Neither one is a good option, and I can see it tearing her apart inside. I tighten my grip a little on her. At least neither one of us is alone anymore. Clarke has been my co-leader since we landed...well, since I stopped being an ass...and we made the tough calls together. But right now, she's blinded by what happened to her and is so obsessed with getting our people out that I worry she's not thinking clearly. Evelyn also has Ty, but Ty is colder than her; more calculated. He doesn't strike me as the 'let's talk and share our feelings about this' type of person. So it's nice, to know that someone else understands what I'm going through. We're not alone, and today, we will try to solidify that with our people.

I look back out of the window to the sunlight streaming in. We should probably get up and get moving to head back to Arkadia. And I certainly don't want Ty or Aaron to come barging in to wake us up. I hate to wake Evelyn though; she looks so peaceful asleep.

"Hey," I say softly, nudging her slightly with my arm around her. She grunts in response and buries her head deeper. I laugh. "Hey, time to wake up sleepy head."

"No thanks," she responds sleepily without looking up. "Waking up means we have to get out of bed. Have responsibilities. No thanks."

"It's either we get up first or your brother comes knocking on your door," I tease. She begrudgingly looks up at me with her chin on my chest. Her long hair is flowing freely and covers part of her face. Her eyes are heavy with sleep but still sparkling. I love her eyes. They radiate across her whole face. She looks radiant.

"Fine," she says, and tries to shake a piece of hair out of her face without much success. I smirk and tuck it behind her ear for her.

"Last night was -"

"Perfect," she finishes for me. I lean forward to kiss her on the head.

"Perfect."

"I would very much like to not have responsibilities today," she traces patterns on my chest while she talks. It's a simple gesture, but it still brings me goosebumps. "Do you think they'll notice if we play hookey? I'd much rather stay in bed with you for the rest of day….or the rest my life, really," she shrugs. My stomach flips at her statement and I laugh with her, running my hands through her long hair.

"They might notice, unfortunately," although I too, couldn't imagine anything better than staying in bed all day. I don't think I've stayed in bed all day unless I was sick, and sick meaning like, really, really, deathbed-like sick. This would be a nice change. "But I mean we could always try…" I lean forward to start kissing her, and we kiss for a few moments before she reluctantly pulls away at the sound of footsteps around cabin.

"Three...two...one…" she counts quietly. On cue, there's a bang on the door. "Yeah, Ty, we're coming, we're coming. Don't get your britches in a bunch," she shouts out the door.

"Well get a move on! Daylight is wasting," Ty's voice comes from outside. The footsteps go back down the porch steps and disappear. I look at Evelyn.

"Don't get your britches in a bunch?" I can't help but laugh at the ridiculous-sounding nature of that phrase.

"It's a saying," she laughs. "I don't know, I've read it in books. It sticks around here. Alright," she squeezes my hand as she sits up and swings her legs over the bed. Her bare back faces me, and I run my fingers over the tattoo from her arm that finishes at her shoulder blade. She looks over her shoulder at me. "You're sure we have to get up?"

"Yeah I don't feel like Ty chasing me down today to kill me so…" I don't put it past him. She rolls her eyes and stands up, taking one of the blankets to wrap around her bare body. Something about her messy flowing hair and the blanket wrapped casually around her, leaving her shoulders bare, puts me beside myself. Suddenly, being chased down and killed by Ty doesn't seem like such a big risk. I'm on fire for everything about this girl, and want nothing more than to stay in bed with her.

But, duty calls. Responsibility and the weight of the world awaits us when we walk out the front door. Responsibility to our people, to our lives. As much as we may want to live in our euphoric land of each other, the harsh reality is that we can't. But hopefully the euphoria won't disappear; I'm grateful that we at least get to still be around each other.

As she shuffles around the cabin getting her things together, I reluctantly force myself out of bed, and follow suit.


	8. Chapter 8

_Bellamy_

The journey back to Arkadia seemed faster than it did yesterday. There are ten of us total; me, Evelyn, Ty, Aaron, Sal from the command room, another guard named Ashton who looked intimidating with scars and mohawk hair, but one of the funniest guys I've met yet, technology-savvy twins Marina and MaryAnn, although most people called MaryAnn just Ann, Desmonde, a big black guy who was a physical trainer and a history teacher, and Oskar, another trainer and physics teacher.

I have never seen twins in person before. Marina and Ann were strikingly identical with their blonde hair and blue eyes, and if not for their different tattoo colors, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Obviously on the Ark we weren't even supposed to have siblings, let alone twins. I can't even think about what would have happened to twins. Although I'm sure it did happen; there's no way 97 years of reproduction went on without twins popping up. I shudder. Not something to think about now.

Evelyn spent most of the trek back talking to other people, occasionally shooting me apologetic looks as she bounced from person to person. I didn't mind; I found the new companions fun. It was exciting to talk to people...civilized, advanced people who didn't want to kill us or take our blood. They were normal, and they were so much like us. If they have made it so successfully on the ground, then so could we. It really confuses me though, still, as to how the grounders ended up so far behind the night people. You would think if technology was available to you, you would take it, or try to. It doesn't make much sense to me why they choose to live like barbarians while Evelyn and her people live a much more advanced life.

Oskar was the most interesting person to talk to. Oskar was in the mountain, much like Clarke. Only his story went a little differently. He was thought to be dead, well, he said he was actually dead for a brief period of time. They disposed of him as they do the rest of their dead, and he woke up in the reaper tunnels. He said he doesn't remember much about his escape; but only that he woke up in the middle of the woods, with Ashton and Desmonde working to save his life.

"It's like I was in a daze," he had explained to me. "Toxicology proved that I was drugged. They also said I shouldn't have woken back up. So I don't know, man, either someone helped me out of there or I'm a hell of alot stronger than I think."

Oskar was tall and well-built, and not someone I would want to mess with. While I could see him fighting his way out, there's no way that Mount Weather would have knowingly let him walk free with the information he had. That makes me think that there are people on the inside willing to help.

At least, I can only hope for that much. I haven't revealed the plan I'm coming up with in my head to anyone, but it would make is less impossible if there are people on the inside willing to work for our cause. With or without that though, it's clear to me what has to be done.

I have to go into the mountain. Alone.

* * *

 _Evelyn_

"Ty, this is chancellor Abby Griffin, and Marcus Kane. Abby, Kane, this is Ty, my brother, and more importantly the leader of our people," I introduce them quickly back in the sky camp because we're racing against time due to Finn's poor decision to massacre half a Trikru village. Clarke may have bought them some time, but that time is running out, and Lexa will come for her blood. I'd like this alliance to take effect before those things take priority.

Formalities are exchanged amongst our leaders and Abby informs us that it will just be the four of us partaking in the alliance formation, given that the rest of the makeshift council has given their acceptance, more or less, and have other duties to attend to. This is understandable, but I see momentary annoyance pass over Bellamy's face as Abby informs us of the plan.

"This is better," I insist, turning to him while Ty tells the rest of our party to take jobs from Bellamy. "This way it will go quickly and we can be done." He nods at me, although there's tension evident in his neck. I wish it could be last night again. He had been so peaceful; so relaxed.

"Just...find me when you're done," he looks at Abby and Kane and gives a curt nod before turning to the rest of our people to assign temporary jobs. I don't want to leave him either, but this has to be done now.

We walk into the Ark, Kane casually explaining the Ark and their history and what they know so far about Mount Weather until we get to a small room with nothing but a metal table and a few chairs in the middle.

"So. This shouldn't take too long," Abby says, leaning forward on the table and looking at Ty. "We know what we want, we know what you want. So what do we have to do to get there?"

Ty nods at Abby. I'm surprised by her curt manner, but I guess she's aware that Lexa isn't going to wait forever for Finn either. Being a leader means juggling all sorts of responsibilities and handling every crisis, and that burden is showing in Abby's face and tone.

"Yes. It seems we want the same thing. I think between both our peoples, we have a better chance at getting our people out of Mount Weather than alone."

"You are aware we are in progress of an alliance with the grounders?" Kane asks. Ty raises an eyebrow.

"Grounders?"

"Trikru," I interpret. The sky people are going to have to learn the proper names of the clans around here. Technically, we're all grounders, even them. Ty nods in understanding, although I can see the skepticism in his eyes. _Calm down, brother_ , I try to send telepathically. I know he's wary of this alliance and these people, but he has to stay open minded for this to work.

"We're aware. Our people have an uneasy calm with Trikru, and we will remain that way. We will not interfere with your alliance with them," he says calmly. I'm proud. Ty's feelings on Trikru have calmed down a lot in the past year, thankfully. It's amazing to me that we still even have an alliance with them after what happened with our parents. _That_ was the definition of leadership. Ty stepped up when no one else, including me, could, and did what was best for our people to keep them safe, and that was keeping an alliance with Trikru, as much as it hurt him to do it.

"But will they? Will they accept us in alliance?" Kane's voice is worried. I don't blame him. His people have seen enough destruction at the hand of Trikru.

"Trikru and Nitekru...we have an...unusual relationship," Ty tries to say tactfully.

"They're afraid of us," I volunteer bluntly. Ty rolls his eyes at me. "Well, it's true. They have had their experience with our warriors. We are not a force to be reckoned with, and they know that. Lexa knows that. She will not sacrifice her warriors to fight us for any reason, really."

Abby and Kane look at each other in disbelief. I know what I'm saying must sound crazy to them, but they have no idea the past we have with Trikru. None of them scare me. None of them scare any of us. Even the guy who plunged a sword in my side. Had I died, his entire village, entire clan would have died. I smirk.

"She's right," Ty says in response to their disbelieving looks. "There are many stories to back that up but now is not the time for stories. You just have to take our word for it. If Trikru gives you any trouble for this alliance, we will take care of that, you have my word."

"Alright," Abby says after a minute. "So what about our alliance?"

"I propose that we work together for the foreseeable future to get our people out. Once we rescue our people from the mountain, we live in peace, knowing what we did to make the ground safer for us all," Ty says. It's moments like this where's it obvious that the leadership blood of my parents flows in him. He has every confidence of a leader, and he seems to know the solutions to every issue without fail. I'm not so sure I got the same genes as him; I like to talk and convince our people, but my heart leads me more than my head, and that's not always a good thing.

"Seems simple enough to me," Abby says. "We don't have any plan yet; we are waiting on our alliance with Lexa to come through."

"Well whether she decides to come through or not, you have an another ally here on the ground," Ty holds out his hand very diplomatically to shake. Abby takes it firmly. I beam. That was way too easy. There were hardly any conditions listed other than getting our people out and living in peace. That's all either one of us wants. Trikru is always filled with so many exceptions...maybe the sky people are exactly what earth needed.

"In our tradition, we have a way of sealing alliances," I say, jumping up. "Before the bombs, they used to sign documents...which you probably do as well...but we find verbally-binding agreements much more convenient. If that's okay," I add quickly. Abby nods.

"Yeah, yeah good idea." Ty extends his arm and I take Abby's hand to his forearm as he grasps hers. This is how we make binding agreements in Shalom; and so far it has worked well. It may be a little outdated but as long as our people abide by it, it's much easier and more convenient than pen and paper. We've only had a few instances where it's been broken, and even those have been minor.

"In brethren we bind, our goals set forward. We bind for peace, for war, for all in between. No blood shall be drawn against each other, no breaking of our brethren, until our agreement reaches it's end," I recite the typical beginning of the alliance agreement. It has also been used in some of local sporting games that we play in Shalom; people get _really_ into those. "Abby of the sky people, do you swear to abide by the guidelines set here today, to work together with our people to get into Mount Weather, to save all our people, and live in peace thereafter? To treat our people as your own and to lead to the best of your ability?"

Abby nods determinedly. "I will." I smile and turn to Ty.

"Ty of the night people, do you swear to abide by the guidelines set here today, to work together with our people to get into Mount Weather, to save all our people, and live in peace thereafter? To treat their people as your own and to lead to the best of your ability?"

"I will," he says, smiling warmly at Abby. I can see the stress radiating through her, and I hope that she will learn to trust us, and know that this is the best move for both of us. The fact that she made this alliance speaks for that, but I hope that her heart can follow suit.

"Alright, well that was simple," I say, grinning. Kane shakes my hand.

"It's easy when both parties want the same thing," he says, shrugging his jacket back on. "You and your people are welcome here as long as you want and need. Although we are a little tight on space…"

"Oh, no worries. We have our own tents and supplies; we can set up inside or right outside the fence if there's not enough room," Ty volunteers. I'm glad he seems to be relaxed and on board with this situation. Kane nods in satisfaction.

"Well, I definitely want to -" Abby starts, but is interrupted by yelling outside. I glance at Ty and we follow Abby and Kane dashing out of the Ark. Outside is chaos, people yelling and backing away from the gate, guards with their guns ready to fire. I spot Bellamy with Clarke running to the gates, Bellamy's gun in his hands. Several of our people are behind them, also getting ready to wield their weapons. Really? We make an alliance with the sky people and not five minutes later we have chaos and guns blazing. Hopefully this isn't a bad omen. We stop not too far from the gates, where two giant Trikru riders are mounted on their horses, fully clothed in war gear, including hideous black facemasks. I hate their stupid masks. I don't understand why they wear them. We have masks built into our jackets for times we want to hide our face, but it's a simple material, not metal and feathers and who knows what else.

"Blood must have blood. We seek the one you call Finn. You have 48 hours." One of the rider's says deeply. I knew they were running out of time with Finn. I'm glad we settled our alliance before this, as close to the wire as it was. The riders don't move.

"And if we don't give him up?" Abby challenged powerfully. I respect her confidence.

"Then war will be upon you," the other rider responds. I roll my eyes. Typical Trikru. I glance around for Finn; he won't be safe for long.

"What is going on?" Ty asks. I look at him confused for a moment before I realize he wasn't here when I was and has no idea about Finn. Oops.

"Finn...they want Finn," I say quietly. I explain what happened quickly, and Ty looks at me in disbelief.

"Ev...we just made an alliance with these people. You didn't think it was worth mentioning that one of their people massacred half an innocent village?" Anger flashes in his eyes. I bite my lip.

"Yeah...I kind of forgot. It's not their way though! He just made a mistake."

"A mistake that's putting them in risk of war...and now us, by extension. You know they won't just give up one of their own," Ty is angry, and rightfully so. I probably should have mentioned that this situation wasn't resolved. But at the same time, this is what an alliance is about. This won't be the first or last time one of our people...either people...makes a mistake that lends us to the hand of those looking to destroy us.

"Would you?" I challenge. He glares at me in the demeaning way only big brothers can.

"Fine. But I swear if this draws us into war this fast...I'm taking back my 'trusting your judgment bit'," he sounds angry, but some amusement dances in his eyes. I grin.

"Deal."

Around us, people are rioting at Finn. They want him to be turned in to save them. I try to put myself in their shoes. What would we do if it was one of our people? Probably try to reason with Trikru...no, Lexa...first. Then wage war. We would win, anyway. I understand the sky people probably don't have that same luxury of thought.

"Hey!" Clarke yells above the crowd. She stands defensively in front of Finn. "No one is taking Finn! We will NOT turn in one of our own for _their_ threats! We will figure something else out."

"Clarke…" Finn starts to protest but Clarke turns and gives him a look that probably would have killed him if looks could kill. It was one of love and longing but also of disappointment and fear and determination.

"We will _not_ turn one of our own in. Come on, it's not safe out here," she grabs him by the arm and they disappear into the Ark. The remaining people are left standing in confusion. Abby takes a deep breath and starts talking:

"We will figure something out. Just everyone, calm down!" She's authoritative and people stop to listen to her. "We will not give up one of our own, that is _not_ our way. We have 48 hours to come up with a plan so unless you have an idea, please keep your shouting to a minimum. In the meantime, please make our guests of the night people feel welcomed. They will be helping us get into Mount Weather." She indicates Ty and I. People raise eyebrows and mutter greetings, and eventually go back about their business. I find it odd that Abby doesn't mention our alliance exclusively. I remember Bellamy telling me how strict they had been in the sky, and how the decision making was kept to a privileged few. I understand that that system is sometimes the only one that works, but I'm grateful we're not a people who need that. I hope the sky people eventually follow that way.

"What a way to kick off an alliance, hm?" Bellamy's voice floats from my right side. I look up at him, still clutching his gun.

"Certainly is," I respond with a sad smile. Ty nods at both of us and goes to talk to the rest of people about where to set up camp.

"They won't let up on this one," He says looking back at the riders sitting outside the gate. I shake my head.

"No, they won't."

"Finn wasn't like this before," Bellamy says, memories filling his eyes. "Back at the dropship...he was always the anti-war, anti-guns guy. I was always the guns-blazing guy. But when we couldn't find Clarke...he went a little insane and now it seems we've switched places." He relaxes his hold on his gun and pushes it back so it sits at his side on the strap. "But we've gotta figure something out. I'm going to go talk to them. Are you okay here?"

"Of course," I say smiling. I mean it; we are here to do a job. The euphoria of last night has to stay in last night, and as a memory while we serve our responsibilities to our people. He of all people understands that. He gives my arm a quick squeeze and disappears into Ark where Clarke and Finn had gone.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" Octavia appears behind me, arms crossed.

"Trying to figure out to save Finn's ass," I respond. She shakes her head.

"It's not going to happen. They aren't the type to just let it go," she says, looking at the riders at the gate.

"I agree. But they feel like they have to try," I say, knowing that I would be doing the same thing if I was in their shoes.

"This is just getting in the way of getting into Mount Weather," she says bitterly. "Not that I want Finn to die," she adds quickly, looking guilty, "but our friends, our people, are being tortured in that mountain and every minute we waste is another minute they're suffering."

I sigh and nod in agreement. She's absolutely right. We haven't even begun to discuss a plan to get into Mount Weather, and how in the world we're going to pull this off, with or without Trikru.

"Let's stop wasting time, then," I say, looking at her. She gives me a confused look. "Lincoln has been there, one of our people, Oskar, has been there, you have maps from Clarke...let's start coming up with something so when these quarrels end and we can take action, we're ready."

Octavia beams. "Yeah, you and I are gonna get along just fine," and with that, we go off to find those to help devise a plan.

* * *

"No way, Ev. There's no way that's gonna happen." Ty protests to my suggestion. Octavia, Lincoln, Ty, Aaron, Sal, and myself are sitting around two tables put together outside the Ark, discussing Mount Weather plans. I just made the inevitable suggestion that we had to have an inside man. We won't get close to the mountain without someone to disable the acid fog from inside.

"If you have a better plan, please, tell me," I challenge. I know Ty is terrified of losing more people to this cause, but we _have_ to come up with something better to do than just try to storm the place. That's the only way not to lose more people, or at least try.

"She's right," Sal volunteers. If anyone can convince Ty, it's Sal. She's his Aaron, and she's not afraid to put him in his place. "We can take artillery, we can take archers, but the acid fog will keep us from getting in. We have to get it disabled. Not to mention that an inside man would be able to know their plays; we could be one step ahead."

"What about the people already in there? Do we not already have radio contact?" Ty asks.

"Yes and no. Not enough, not freely enough. They won't get a chance to do what needs to be done. It has to be someone who can blend in long enough to not be noticed and slip under the radar," Octavia says, taking my side. Ty is being defeated, and he knows it. He sighs and rests his head on his hands.

"Fine. We need someone on the inside," he submits to the suggestion. "And so the question becomes, who the hell is going to be willing to do that?"

We all shift uncomfortably; probably all in our heads both wanting to volunteer and hoping someone else will first. I've been thinking of this plan for a while; I'm small enough and quick enough to get in and be undetected, but I have no idea how to actually get in to begin with.

"I think before we make that kind of decision, we should address everyone involved," Aaron says, fiddling with his knife between his hands. He does that all the time, especially when he's thinking. I'm surprised he hasn't sliced his fingers off yet. Then again, his weapon of expertise is a knife. "I'd hate to plan all of this behind other people's backs when we're supposed to be working together."

There's a sense of relief that goes around the table as Aaron suggests this decision not be made just yet. Everybody is ready to make plans, but nobody is ready to commit to the dangerous parts just yet. We've spent so much time anticipating and planning that when it comes time for action, everyone is anxious. It's easy to plan; much more difficult to execute.

"Then as soon as all this madness is over," Ty starts, looking over at the sky people still arguing over what to with Finn, "we execute. If this doesn't get resolved soon, we _will_ take action."

Nods of agreement pass around the table. I don't want to take action before consulting everyone, but I have to agree with Ty. Now that we have enough skilled people, and an actual, kind of solid plan, sitting around doing nothing seems like so much wasted time.

I just hope we're making the right call.

* * *

A little later, I duck into a tent I was told I could get water from. I'm surprised to find Finn hurriedly packing a bag. He looks up at me in fear and runs a hand through his long brown hair.

"Hey, I was uh, just getting my things togethers, you know, just in case…" But I shake my head. I know what he's doing.

"You're going to turn yourself in," I say simply. He sighs, his shoulders dropping in defeat.

"I didn't want anyone to die for me. They're already turning on each other. The grounders won't give in, unless I turn myself in. There are 47 of our people stuck in Mount Weather, and every moment they fight over me is another moment we could be losing someone," he shrugs and shakes his head. "I guess there's no asking you not to tell Clarke and Bellamy?" He looks sideways at me. I understand his noble act, and I appreciate it. Any one of our people that turned themselves in to save the rest of us would be honored. I stick my canteen in the water trough and shrug.

"I don't know you, Finn, but from what I've been told about you, what you did was very uncharacteristic. You acted out of emotion; of fear and grief and desperateness," I turn to look at him as I screw the top of my canteen back on. "In this world? We've all made those mistakes. We all have blood on our hands. How you choose to reconcile that, the decisions you make for the benefit of your people, well, those are entirely yours," I give him a sad smile. "As far as I'm concerned, I came into this tent, filled my canteen, and left. I saw nothing else."

Finn comes forward and embraces me tightly, I'm caught off guard but return the embrace. "Thank you," he says quietly. I smile and nod as we break apart. His face is contorted with fear and sadness. He knows what the end will be, and he's scared. I don't blame him. If he killed half a village, Trikru will ensure that he suffers the pain of all those deaths. "Can you do me a favor?" He asks cautiously. I nod. He pulls out a long necklace with a little metal bird on the end of it. "When this is all over, will you give this back to Raven? And tell her I love her. And Clarke…" he stops, not sure what to say. "Tell her I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Can you do that for me?"

I take the necklace he's holding out and nod. "Sure, Finn."

"I wish I had the time to get to know you better," he says. "I'm sorry I don't."

"Me too, Finn," I respond sadly. Noble it may be, it's still sad. "You better go; they'll come looking for you soon."

He nods, hoisting the bag on his back. "May we meet again," he mutters, looking back at me from the flap of the tent.

"May you find peace," I respond with our typical farewell. He nods and ducks out of the flap. I take a deep breath; realizing I'm the only one to know what happened to Finn. I can't tell anyone what just happened; Clarke and Bellamy may never forgive me for it. Finn is making the right call, in my opinion. I don't want him to die; I have a sinking pit in my stomach at the thought of his impending death, but Trikru made their threat. Nothing the Sky people could do would stop them from taking Finn or waging war against their camp, and that's the last thing that needs to happen right now. I know that the rational sides of Bellamy and Clarke will see that, but when it's someone you care deeply for, it's difficult to see rationally. So they can't know that I know, at least not yet.

I wait a few more moments for Finn to get out of dodge, and then exit the tent as if nothing more happened there than filling my canteen.


End file.
